


Not A Single Strand Of Light

by words_reign_here



Category: Supernatural
Genre: Angels, Community: deancasbigbang, DeanCasBigBang2k14, Destiel - Freeform, M/M, Mini Road Trip, Possession, Sevin, Vampires
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-10-21
Updated: 2014-10-21
Packaged: 2018-02-22 00:58:49
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 36,341
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2488547
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/words_reign_here/pseuds/words_reign_here
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Post season 8 finds Castiel fallen and lost. The Winchesters are nowhere to be found and without them, Castiel doesn't know where to turn. A few new friends reunite the Winchesters with the newly human Castiel but it's only the very beginning of what turns out to be a revelatory journey for Dean, Cas, Sam and Kevin. After demons, vampires, a road trip, darkness and a surprising source of light, the Winchesters and their family are left to pick up the pieces.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> My first time here, my lovelies! Well, ok, not here, but my first time participating in DCBB. I cannot tell you how grateful I am to the two people that helped get me here: first and foremost, my best friend and most hardworking beta and pretty much awesome-est friend around, Hannah (you can find her at http://yall-mothafuckas-need-misha.tumblr.com/). Couldn't do this without her yelling at me for the majority of the time. And second of all, for my AMAZING artist, Melissa. You can find her spectacular artwork here: http://miss-melissa17.livejournal.com/2190.html. Leave her comments and let her know what you think!  
> As always, thank you for reading. I couldn't do this without you guys. Leave comments! Let me know what you think about this first foray into DCBB 2k14.

 


	2. Chapter 2

 

Falling was hard.

    Cas was lost. He watched his brothers and sisters fall to the earth like meteors, bright and burning, their wings lost to them. He stumbled from the woods, fell and tore his pants on some sharp rocks. The blood welled beneath his fingers when he pressed there, stinging. He heard shouts and screams nearby and, with lack of anything else to do, he headed towards them.

    In the clearing were several cabins, all lined against a narrow dirt road. Children’s toys were scattered haphazardly everywhere. Men and women were turned to the sky, watching his brothers and sisters rain down to earth. Cas refused to turn his face towards the falling, burning figures in the sky. He felt like the little girl he initially saw coming out of the woods, and wanted to hide behind his Father. His Father was nowhere in sight though and he was human now. No Father, no Heaven, no siblings. He had no place to call home and the only thing he could count on was his angel blade that was strapped tightly to his forearm underneath his coat.

An older man turned towards Cas as he stumbled, one more time. His vessel felt heavier than it had previously.

“Son, you ok?” He asked. His hair was salt and pepper and his skin was tanned. He clapped a hand to Castiel’s shoulder and held him still for a moment, while a feeling of vertigo passed.

“I-” Cas cleared his throat. “I am not well. I’m lost.” He said, his eyebrows crinkling.

“Well, now you are found.” The man said. The irony was not lost on Cas. The man didn’t look to be kidding. “Hey, come on. You can borrow my daughter’s phone. Her and her husband-”

“Dad?” A young woman asked, coming up behind him. She paused behind her father and stopped a much smaller child from nearing Cas.

“Hey. Met a new friend.” Her dad said jovially although his eyes never left Castiel. “He’s lost. Can he borrow your phone?”

“Dad, he’s bleeding.” She whispered. Her father glanced down at Castiel’s pants which still seeped a little blood.

“We can fix him up. Come on up to the cabin- I’m sorry, your name?” He asked, scooping the small child up and heading towards a cabin across the road.

“Castiel.” He replied.

“Castiel, this here is Matthew Riley.” He threw the boy in his arms up in the air for emphasis and Cas nearly fell again. “Daughter’s name is Jules Riley. I’m Henry Johnston.”

Cas stumbled once more and this time it was Jules that reached out and grasped his elbow. He smiled at the press of her gentle hand but she kept her head down. Matthew couldn’t decide if he wanted to stare at the lights in the sky or the strange man following his grandfather and mother. The cabin they were walking to was the largest of the nearest seven and warm lights made it seem welcoming. In the cabin Castiel was first confronted with the largest buck head he had ever seen mounted on a human’s wall.

“That is a very large animal on the wall.” Castiel commented. Henry laughed and Jules shook her head. From a room just off to the side, Cas heard wheels coming towards them.

“Jules, what the hell was all that light out there?” A man asked, sounding concerned. A man, beautiful by anyone’s standards, rolled into view. He was in a wheelchair and wore only black track pants. His chest was bare and he had Arabic writing across his ribs. He was just as tan as the rest of the group but with a mop of sandy golden hair instead of the black of Jules and Matthew. He stopped when he saw Cas but smiled warmly after a moment’s hesitation.

“David, this is Castiel. He was lost-” Jules started.

“But now he’s found.” David finished. The theme seemed to be recurring in this family. “Come on in. Jules made some food, we got plenty to go around. Do you need a phone?” He asked.

“I- uh-” Cas started and much to his embarrassment, tears welled up in his eyes. “I-” He tried again.

“Sit.” Jules ordered gently. She pushed his shoulders down until he sat down on an ottoman. Henry smiled and headed to the back of the cabin with Matthew who began fussing and David rolled closer to Castiel. Jules left and came back with a bottle of water. She uncapped it and handed it to David. David held it for a minute and said, “Deep breaths, buddy. We caught you.”

Cas held the man’s eyes and he couldn’t help the way his eyes flickered down the man’s bare chest, across his tattoos, his forearms, his hands and then around the warmly lit room around them. There were family pictures everywhere, but also of David in fatigues and surprisingly, Jules as well. He turned to her and took note of her figure hugging shorts, her lean frame, small though it may be, and her arms.

“You are soldiers.”

“Were.” Jules said, taking a seat next to Cas as her husband rolled closer still.

“We served our country. I was discharged, Jules was pregnant, and the rest is history.” David supplied. He regarded Cas for a moment, blue eyes suspicious. “You are a soldier as well.”

“Was.” Cas said softly.He snorted. “I was discharged as well.”

There was silence for a moment before David leaned forward and tore Castiel’s pants open at the knee where he was bleeding. “Let’s take care of this.” He said. “Jules will get you a pair of my pants, ok?” Cas nodded and watched as Jules left the room.

“Your home is lovely.” Cas said.

“It’s all Jules.” David replied and frowned. “Could you have gotten any more dirt in this?”

“I fell.” Cas said.

David paused and looked up. “It looks that way.”

Jules reentered the room just then, a small blue duffel in her hands. She handed it over to David who pulled out a small squirt bottle and poured some saline solution in it. She pulled out a square of gauze and some tape. David glanced up at Castiel.

“This might sting.” He said. He placed a warm hand that was now bare beneath his fingers and squeezed the saline solution onto the wound. Cas hissed at the bright, new sting of pain. Jules handed the gauze over to David and he taped it swiftly to the wound after drying it. Jules handed some blue sweat pants and a white tshirt over to Cas. “Is your family near?”

Cas had a bright flash of the church where he had left Dean. “I’m not sure.” He paused a beat and looked down at his hands. They were filthy. “Where am I?”

“Colorado. Just north of a little town called Durango.” David answered.

“Are you hungry?” Jules asked, unperturbed by Castiel’s strange behavior. Before he could answer, she stood and slid a phone out of her back pocket and handed it to Cas. “Call your family. I’ll get you some food. Drink your water.”  She strode away and David watched her.

“She was the CO of our company. Kind of used to her orders being followed.” He said as way of explanation. He stared at the black rectangle in his hands in question. Dean had only given him the simplest of phones with the easiest directions. He couldn’t even figure out how to make this one light up.

David chuckled and slid it out of his grasp. He pressed a small hidden button on top and slid his fingers across the screen. He pulled up a menu with numbers on it and handed it back to Castiel. Cas dialed Dean’s number from memory and prayed that he had it on him. As the phone began to ring its fourth time, he began to lose hope.

“Winchester.” A stern voice came over the phone. Cas didn’t reply right away. There was a sinking feeling in his stomach when he heard the anger seeping through the line. “Hello?” Dean snapped, really angry now.

“Dean.” Cas finally managed. David laid a hand on his shoulder and nodded. “Dean?” He repeated.

“Cas.” He finally heard on a single breath. An unexpected warmth bloomed at that voice. “Cas. Where are you?”

“Uh, just north of Durango, Colorado-”

“Are you ok?” Dean asked, his words rushed and tumbling over each other. He heard rustling in the background and Sam’s voice.

“Yes, Dean, I’m fine. Well, I wasn’t but then a very nice man and his family took me in-”

“What, Cas? Who are they? How do you know they won’t-”

“I’m ok, Dean.” Cas finally managed to say. Then he glanced over at David and then over to Jules who was heating up something on the stove. Henry entered the room right then, little Matthew in pajamas now. “At least, I think I am.”

“May I?” David asked, hand out for the phone.

“Dean, they would like to speak to you.” Cas said.

“Cas, are you sure?” Dean asked.

There was a seed of doubt now, growing evermore in Castiel’s mind. He hesitated before finally saying, “No. Not anymore.” He handed the phone over to David who patted his arm.

“Dean Winchester.” David greeted warmly. He paused for a moment and a small grin stole over his face. “No, no. Not at all. Actually, you did a favor for a friend of the family’s. Jo Harvelle?” He paused and Castiel stomach sank even further. David’s face softened. “Nothing like that, Dean. She was a fucking warrior. You know that.” David leaned back in his chair and listened for a moment. He nodded even though Dean couldn’t see him. Jules leaned around the corner and whispered to Castiel that the food was ready. “Get some sleep, Winchester. We won’t let him wander around the woods unsupervised. You can leave in the morning.” David paused again and laughed. “No, I didn’t expect you to. I will send the directions to this number.” He handed the phone back to Castiel.

“Cas, I’m leaving now. Should be there in about twelve hours, all right?” Dean said.

“Dean, wait.”

“What is it, Cas?” Dean said, exasperation edging his voice.

“Sam, is he-”

“Sam, for whatever reason, is feeling better than he has in years. He is going to stay here though because Kevin is freaking out. I gotta go, Cas. I’ll be there- I’ll be there soon, ok?” Dean said, the promise sounding like it was more for himself than for Cas.

“Yes, Dean.” Cas said.

Dean hung up.

“You’re an angel.” Henry stated.

“Was.” Castiel cleared his throat. “I was an angel of the lord. Now it seems as though I am mortal.”

Jules hung back a bit and watched him. David smiled easily at him. Cas felt like his chest was breaking open and his Grace was pouring out once again. He couldn’t breathe and spots danced before his eyes.

“Easy there, big guy.” Jules said, rounding the couch. She sat so that her thigh was pressed against his and she rubbed circles in his back.

“I can’t- I can’t breathe.” Castiel said, panic rising to the forefront of his mind.

“Yes you can.” Jules encouraged. “I’m not having Dean Winchester bust in here and kill us all because his angel had a panic attack and forgot how to breathe.”

“In through your nose.” David encouraged. Cas felt the tears welling up in his eyes and spilling over. His emotions were caught somewhere between relief and anger, betrayal and gratitude. He shook and tried to breathe as the tears spilled over and Jules pulled him into a tight embrace.

“Hey, shhh. It’s ok.” She murmured in his ear. He tried to breathe and then he felt David’s hand on his leg again and the tears kept coming. Jules held him while he tried to remember that he was the great Castiel, leader of a garrison, warrior of heaven, savior of the Righteous Man but it was all lost to him. The words stopped after a while but Jules and David stayed there, right there, and helped him work through it.

Finally, he was able to lean back and wipe his face. Henry handed him a box of tissues as he continued to mop up his face. “I’m sorry.” He whispered, shame lacing his words.

“No need.” Jules said. “We’ve been there. We’ve lost men.”

“We’ve lost ourselves.” David amended. Jules and David exchanged a long glance that Cas had only seen on Dean and Sam. “Dean’s on his way. Let’s get some food in you and a shower. It’s been five days since the angels started falling and no offense, but you smell like you’ve been laying in the woods for about that long.” David rolled his chair back to let Cas stand.

“If it’s all the same,” Cas started, not wanting to insult their hospitality, “Would you mind if I took a shower first?”

“Not at all.” Jules said. “Second door on your left. Towels are in there.”

“Help yourself to whatever you need in there.” David said. Castiel thanked them once again and shuffled off to the bathroom. Once there, he turned the water on and waited for the temperature to even out before he stripped and stepped in. Once in, he lathered up with peach shampoo and a bar of soap. He watched the gray water gather at his feet and swirl down the drain. Before his mind could wander too far, he shut off the water and stepped out, finding a towel with a package of boxers near the sink along with the blue pants and white shirt. His own clothes were gone, but as he was not naked, he would have to deal with his safety net being gone for now. The angel blade that had been tucked neatly away in his jacket was placed next to his clothes and he sighed. He dried off, pondered the hygienic reasons of using someone else’s deodorant before coming to the decision that it was in everyone’s best interest that he borrow some. As he exited, he spotted a hamper and stuffed his towel in there and grabbed his blade. David and Jules were seated at the small table, Matthew on Jules’ lap and Henry in the living room, flipping through a book. As they caught sight of Cas, David turned his chair around and headed over to the stove. Everything was a little bit lower in height so that David was able to maneuver around comfortably in his chair. He grabbed a bowl and a small plate and ladled out some soup and placed a slab of cornbread on the plate and set them down. Cas approached warily and placed his angel blade down on the table. Jules reached out and Cas caught her arm.

“Please don’t.” He said gently.

“I was just going to put it on the other side of you so Matthew can’t reach it.” Jules said. She didn’t appear hurt. Cas slid the blade out of the child’s reach and David handed him a spoon.

“It’s about thirteen hours from Lawrence to here. He’ll be here in the afternoon tomorrow.”

Cas shook his head. “Mid morning at the latest.” He dipped his spoon in the soup and began to eat, slowly at first and then with a speed that even Dean would have admired. Jules and David discussed trivial things, offered Cas more food (which he gladly took them up on), and he watched as Matthew leaned more and more heavily into his father’s chest and eventually fell asleep that way, his ear pressed to his father’s bare chest. The couple continued to talk until they noticed Cas was done with his meal.

“We don’t have an extra bed, but the sofa is pretty ok.” Jules said.

“I could not have expected this much hospitality, Jules. Thank you.” Castiel said.

“Well, you’re one of the good guys. That’s what we do.”

Cas snorted into his now empty bowl. He stood and took it over to the sink where he began to rinse it out and clean it. “Some might argue that.”

“Well they aren’t here.” Henry said from his spot in the living room. “So they don’t matter. And if you got a Winchester driving all night to come pick you up, well that’s something special too.”

“Dean, yes. He is special.” Cas shrugged and placed the bowl and spoon in the drainer. “But even in heaven I was not- I was expendable. That was made clear by how many of my siblings wanted me dead.”

Jules and David opened their mouths to protest but Cas just shook his head sadly. “It’s ok. I’ll be out of your hair in less than ten hours and you can go on with your lives.”

“Because everyone has an angel of the lord as an overnight guest.” Jules snorted. “Listen, this I’m-not-worthy bullshit stops here. We’ve heard the stories. The great Castiel, the leader, blah blah blah.” Jules studied him and Cas felt a wash of something different overcome him. “Whatever it is that you did, I want you to know that there are still some people that believe in you.”

“You shouldn’t-” Cas started.

“I can and I will.” Jules said, standing, discussion clearly over. She made her way over to a closet and began to pull out blankets and sheets and a pillow and then shooed her father off the couch.

“Jules, please-” But she was already done.

“We’re going to go to bed. If Dean arrives any earlier, please let us know.” She hugged the angel quickly and let go before he could react. “Don’t leave without saying goodbye.”

“I won’t.” Castiel promised and watched as the family headed off to bed. He tumbled into the bed and found that Jules words were true. The sofa was ok. He pulled the blankets up to his chin and fell asleep.

 

~*~*~

 

    The next morning dawned bright and clear. The blankets were tucked neatly around Cas and the angel blade was still underneath his pillow. He blinked at the clock and it said a quarter after ten. Castiel’s still waking brain began to calculate how much longer Dean would be until he heard a familiar rumble of laughter from the kitchen. He stood, almost tumbled out of his nest and rounded the couch the same time he heard a chair scrape against the floor. Dean walked out of the kitchen and Cas slammed right into him. Unlike every other time of reminding Cas of the “personal space” that he was so fond of, Dean wrapped him up in a hug, pulling him tight against his chest.

“Cas, Cas, Cas.” Dean muttered, still holding him tight. Cas leaned his weight against his friend and Dean held him up and held him steady.

“Dean.” Cas gasped. “Dean, I didn’t know- Metatron-”

“I know. Kevin filled the gaps in. We’ve been looking for you everywhere, man. I know. Hey, I got you now. We got you.” He said. He spotted Kevin and Sam at the table with David and Matthew. Sam looked thin still, but the hands that held the coffee cup were steady and Kevin looked more awake than he had in months. “We can go home now.” Dean said, rubbing Castiel’s back. Cas tightened his grip on Dean. “Hey, man. It’s ok. It’s ok. Whatever else happened, with Metatron, with Heaven, it’s ok.”

“It’s not ok-” Cas tried.

“Castiel, I started the apocalypse. Really, man. It’s ok.” Sam said from his spot at the table.

“I couldn’t stop the apocalypse which was my only reason to be on this earth.” Kevin added.

“I tried to save my pregnant wife from a werewolf and ended up breaking my back and becoming more of a burden on her than anything else.” David threw in, apparently wanting to commiserate.

“A werewolf did that?” Kevin asked, leaning forward.

“And then my pregnant wife killed it.” Matthew leaned over to Sam who took him from David’s arms. The child tugged at Sam’s hair, mystified. Dean finally let Cas go, but kept a hand on his arm. “Do not mess with Jules and her pregnancy mood swings, I will tell you that right now.” David said and laughed when Matthew grabbed Sam’s nose.

“Let’s get some food in you.” Dean said, all but shoving Cas into his vacated chair. He went over to the stove and began to pile pancakes and eggs and bacon on his plate. He placed it in front of Cas and then went and got him some coffee. Cas gratefully drank most of it down in one go and Kevin smiled at him. Dean took a seat next to Cas, his knees bumping into him underneath the table.

“Why didn’t you wake me?” Cas asked as he dug into his plate.

“You were out.” Kevin said.

“And frankly, you probably needed it.” Sam said. “There are news stories of men and women falling into comas after the fall to earth. We don’t know why or if we should even look into it.” Sam gently tugged his hair from Matthew’s chubby fist as he tried to devour it. “We were worried that’s what happened to you. And if what we were hearing was right, there are angels out there that are after you, Cas. We had to find you first.”

“That’s why you were suspicious of David.” Cas said, turning to Dean.

“It was worse when he mentioned Jo. There are hunters out there that are still gunning for us for what happened to Ellen and Jo.” Dean said, nudging the plate, encouraging Cas to continue eating. Jules stumbled into the kitchen right then, noting with only a vague sort of surprise that Dean, Kevin and Sam were present. She smiled at them all and headed straight for the coffee. She leaned her hip against the counter and watched her son babble and coo up at Sam. She noted with only the slightest surprise that Dean’s arm rested on the back of Castiel’s chair.

“I’m glad you didn’t leave without saying goodbye.” She said to Cas.

“After hearing the werewolf story, I would not have dared.” Cas said with a smile. Jules blushed.

“It wasn’t enough.” She muttered.

“I beg to differ.” David said.

“Not enough would mean the little guy grows up without a father.” Sam said. Matthew found Sam’s pocket and began to search it thoroughly. Kevin snorted into his own coffee at the sight. David laughed outright. They all watched with some interest as Sam attempted to keep Matthew away from his hair, his nose, his mouth, and his pocket. He was vastly unsuccessful and the parents offered no help or advice. When Cas was finished, Jules handed him a bag that was filled with his clothes that were freshly laundered and a pair of jeans that she said would be more comfortable for the long drive home. Cas excused himself and changed into the jeans and Dean offered him a green button up that he had brought with him. The mountains of Colorado could get warm but it was still worth layering. The shirt was thick and warm and smelled like Dean. It was a little big in the shoulders but once Cas rolled the sleeves up, it was perfectly presentable. Sam handed Cas some boots that Dean had to guess the size on and he was close, only about a half size too large. They all marched out to the porch where the Impala waited, gleaming, underneath the trees.

Cas turned to David and Jules. “Thank you for your help. If you need anything, please let me know.” Jules wrapped a hug around him and Cas was surprised at the grip the young woman had.

“Let us know.” Dean said, when Jules finally stepped back. Dean placed a hand at Castiel’s elbow and nodded to Sam who stood on the edge of the porch and was pointing upwards at an airplane that he wanted Matthew to see. They made quite the pair, the very small boy and the very large man. Dean grinned and Castiel couldn’t help but share in his friend’s small joy.

“Alright, Sammy. Time to give the kid back to his parents. Gotta hit the road.” Dean said. Cas couldn’t help but notice the momentary regret that flitted across Sam’s face as he handed David the baby back.

“Keep in touch, Cas.” Jules reminded him. “If you need anything-”

“I will call.” Cas promised. “The same goes for the three of you as well.”

“We will.” David promised. Cas hugged the three of them one last time, now getting accustomed to the human need for affection and then followed Dean to the Impala. He went around to the back but found Sam pushing at him to get in the front.

“I’m taking over the back. Dean was driving like a maniac all night and I couldn’t sleep.” Sam said. Kevin looked distraught at the new arrangements but Sam shot him a look so he kept his mouth shut.

Cas wandered over to the passenger seat and settled in. Dean climbed in and raised a hand at the small family on the porch. Kevin found a small spot in the back seat that wasn’t covered in Sam limbs and settled in as well. Dean gunned the engine and backed out, heading down the narrow dirt road.

“Let’s go home.” Cas sighed and leaned his head against the window.

Dean gripped the steering wheel. “Yeah, let’s do that.”       

 

~*~*~

 

Within an hour of climbing in the car, Sam was asleep and Kevin dozed in the back. Cas turned around to look at them and squinted at the early afternoon light.

“Here.” Dean said, handing him a pair of sunglasses. “You’re always squinting and I thought-” The tips of Dean’s ears turned a faint pink, “I thought that you would like them.” He finally finished. Kevin caught Sam’s smirk as he settled himself into the seat. Apparently he was not as asleep as he pretended to be. Kevin continued to doze off and on for the next several hours.  

It was much later into the road trip that Cas turned to Dean. “I’m sorry.” He finally said.

Dean glanced over at him, an eyebrow cocked. “For what?”

“For this.” Cas said gesturing out to the wide road but meaning the whole thing; heaven being locked up, angels falling…. for failing to be of use any longer.

“The road isn’t bad, Cas.” Dean said, turning his eyes forward again and purposely ignoring what Cas was trying to say.

“You are being obtuse on purpose.” Cas accused him. Dean smiled.

“Well, yeah. Look, ok. You fucked up on a grand scale that few people even know about. We don’t know how to fix it. But there isn’t a script anymore and we’re going home now. We’ll figure it out, just like we always do.”

“But I won’t be-” Cas stopped himself. “I won’t be of use any longer.”

“What do you mean?” Dean asked, turning his eyes back to Cas. He was the picture of abject misery. His face was down and he fiddled with a broken nail. His shoulders were slumped.

“If you or Sam or Kevin are hurt-”

“Then we’ll patch ourselves up like we do every other time and move on. I don’t want to hear you say you aren’t useful again Cas. Don’t do that to yourself.” Dean said harshly. Kevin opened one eye and looked over at Sam. Sam was shit at covering his facial expressions and this time was no exception. If anyone could frown loudly, it was the younger Winchester. “Kevin couldn’t stop talking about getting you in the library. That big old brain of yours is stuffed with lore Sam and I don’t know jack squat about. Your muscle memory will come back and you still have your blade. You’re a bad ass with it and I would bet my last dollar that you will save us more than once with it. Guns, I can teach you. You have set me and Sam on our asses with your hand to hand.” Dean sighed and Kevin switched his gaze up to the driver’s seat. Dean rubbed a hand over his face. “And it’s not just that, man. You are Sam’s best friend; Kevin’s future teacher and my-” Dean stopped and stumbled over his words. Savior was too much, best friend was too little, moral compass wasn’t right either. “You’re my angel. You’re family. And you belong at home. Man, you belong with us.”

Kevin looked over at Sam. He was grinning broadly now.

“Let’s wake these guys up.” Dean said. Cas seemed at a loss. “There’s a place coming up that I want to stop at.”

“Yes, Dean.”

Kevin kicked Sam hard in the knee. Sam dropped the smile. Cas turned around.

“Sam. Kevin. We are stopping.” Cas said.

Sam yawned and stretched as best he could. He scrubbed at his face and glanced over at Kevin. Kevin caught his gaze.

“Where are we?” Kevin asked.

“Almost to Castle Rock. Little place called The Old Stone Church I wanted to stop by. Great food, amazing service.” Dean said.

“Church?” Cas asked.

“It was deconsecrated a long time ago. They just didn’t take into account that it being holy ground was the only thing saving it from being haunted by some angry ghosts that had died on the grounds in a fire in the late 1800s. I was in Denver and dad let me know about it. Simple salt and burn and everyone was happy. The owners told me to stop in whenever I had the chance.”

“Isn’t Castle Rock a little out of the way?” Sam asked.

“Yeah but it’s a really nice place, man. I think Cas would enjoy it. And you and Kevin too.” He added hastily.

“Wait, like how nice? Do I need a suit? I don’t have a suit.” Kevin said.

“Nor do I, Dean.” Cas added.

Dean furrowed his brow. “It’s Castle Rock. I’m sure we can pick something up.”

 

       ~*~*~

 

As soon as they entered Castle Rock, Sam spied a shop selling men’s suits. He tapped Dean on the shoulder. “Let’s go there. I’m starving and it doesn’t look like they have a lot of people in there. Maybe it’ll be quick.” But knowing Dean, it wouldn’t be. He had become quite discerning when it came to picking out suits and he liked to take his time. Dean nodded anyway and swung in. Kevin jumped out, grateful that he could finally stand. Cas was a little more wary and approached the front of the car like a startled animal. Sam slapped him on his back.

“It’ll be painless, I promise.” He said.

“I didn’t expect it to be painful.” Cas said distress in his tone.

“Just an expression.” Dean said, following Kevin in. The small bell above the door rang out their arrival and a man as tall as Kevin and nearly as slight came out of the back. He raised his eyebrows. His eyes were a steely gray and his nose brought back images of Roman emperors to Castiel’s memories. His skin was delicately tanned and his fingers were long and elegant. His hair was pitch black and from what Cas could tell, not dyed. His age was hard to place. If he were younger than Sam, he would not have been surprised. But if he were older than Dean, he still would not have been surprised.  

“Gentlemen.” He said softly. “What can I do for you?”

“Ah, we need a couple of suits.” Dean said.

“For these two.” Sam said, gesturing at Kevin and Cas.

“All right.” The man said, nodding. “Cat! Can you come help me out please.” The man called to the back of the store. A woman strode in from the back, the spitting image of the man. Kevin, Sam, Dean and Cas glanced as one from the man to the woman.

“Twins.” The woman said in that same soft voice when she noted their confusion. “What were you looking for?”   

Sam stopped listening as Dean took over, talking to both the man and woman about colors and inseams. Both of them, Catherine and Christopher as they introduced themselves. Cas and Kevin were measured and then led to the back where they were both unceremoniously pushed into dressing rooms. Dean waited near the rooms and Catherine hovered nearby. Christopher made his way over to Sam who was looking at a black wool coat that would come in handy. It was long and looked to be lined.

“You have good taste.” Christopher said as he watched Sam finger the coat sleeve. “But this particular coat would be too tight across your shoulders.” Christopher ran his fingers down several more sleeves and stopped at a navy blue coat. He slid it from hanger and gestured for Sam to turn around. Sam did and Christopher slid the coat up his arms, and readjusted it on his shoulders.

“There.” He said. He was right. The fit across his shoulders, which was almost impossible to get right at times, was perfect and it hung just slightly past his wrists, like he liked it. Dean whistled from across the store and strode over to where Sam and Christopher stood, now in front of a three way mirror.

“Looking good, Sammy.” Dean said. “Gonna get it?”

Sam twisted this way and that and Christopher said, “If I might offer an opinion?”

Dean and Sam both turned to the smaller man who placed his hands on Sam’s hips and turned him back to the mirror. He stayed there, his breath warm across Sam’s neck, his tapered fingers barely a pressure on his hips. “It’s stylish enough for a suit, possibly even a tux. It would dress up any pair of jeans with some black shoes and a button up shirt. And the quality is unmatched.” Christopher dropped his hands and stepped back. “I’ll go check on on Catherine.” He said abruptly. Sam and Dean followed his swift retreat with raised eyebrows.

“Did he just-” Dean started.

“Yeah, he did.” Sam answered.

“Well, that’s a first.” Dean said turning back to the mirror.

Sam paused in buttoning up the coat. “What makes you think that’s the first time?” If Dean’s eyebrows got any higher, they would be in his hairline. “I may not have been on all the rides, Dean, but this isn’t my first rodeo.” Sam judged himself in the mirror. “I like it. You are going to buy it for me.” He plastered a smile on his face and headed straight back to Christopher.

Dean was going to have to rethink his whole life.

“Dean.” Cas called out from one of the dressing rooms. Dean made his way back there and stuck his head into the dressing room.

“What’s up?”

“I don’t like it.” Cas said, frowning at the suit on his shoulders now. It was in his posture. He really didn’t like the suit.

“You don’t like the suit?” Dean asked, frowning.

“I don’t like the tie.” Cas said tugging at it. “The coat annoys me. Do I really need it?” He shrugged it off his shoulders and Dean was left helpless. Christopher, helpful bastard that he was, chose to stick his head in as well.

“I have a solution.” He said primly. He left abruptly and came back with his arms loaded down and pushed Dean from the dressing room. “You’ll see in a moment.”

Dean watched while Catherine adjusted a black suit and red tie on Kevin’s shoulders and Kevin offered his opinion on Sam’s new coat. Dean smiled and couldn’t help but recall how Sam was with Adam. Sam missed him, Dean knew that much, but maybe having Kevin around would lessen the grief and guilt on them both.

“Yes. That is much better.” He heard Castiel say only a second before he stepped out of the small dressing room and presented himself to Dean. He wore a blue button up shirt with a darker blue waist coat. The button up was undone the first couple of buttons and Dean could see the faint trace of Castiel’s collarbone underneath. The pants nipped in just so and rode a little lower on Castiel’s hips than was average for a suit, but Dean couldn’t find the words to complain.

“Hm.” Christopher said, tapping his chin and watching Dean. “Yes, I believe that will suffice.”

The grand total was something of note, or would have been normally, if Charlie hadn’t forged some paperwork, making Dean and Sam the soul heirs to Dick Roman’s massive empire. She had liquidated everything, kept a small chunk of change for herself and funneled the rest into an account for Sam and Dean to use, legally. They had too much money now but at least Dean didn’t have to hustle for pool anymore. And small luxuries like this didn’t make Dean wince anymore at the tab. They upgraded their hotel choices now and Dean didn’t mind as much being on the road.

“We should just get a room for the night, Dean.” Sam said. The bags underneath his eyes were a testament that the night before had not been kind to him. Dean could feel the creeping exhaustion as well. Two twelve hour drives were not in the cards for him.

“Yeah, that’s a good idea.”  Dean said. He turned to Catherine. “Any hotel recommendations?”  

She thought for a moment. “Pikes Peak. They are a bed and breakfast though.”

Dean looked over at Sam who shrugged. “Fine with me.”

They waved goodbye to Christopher and Catherine and piled into the car. Sam mapped the directions to the bed and breakfast and Dean followed the directions to find themselves in front of a very large house.

“You guys go ahead.” Sam said. “I need to check on something.” Sam pulled out his phone but as Dean, Cas and Kevin headed up to the house, Sam snagged the back of Kevin’s collar. Dean and Cas didn’t notice, as they had their heads bowed together in deep conversation. Sam waited till they were out of earshot before raising a finger to Kevin.

“Not a word that you know about what they were talking about earlier. Not a single word. To anyone.”

“I won’t!” Kevin said raising his hands.

“I know ways to kill a person, Kevin. You have no idea how long I’ve been waiting for Dean to get his head out of his-”

“I get it! Not a word. To anyone.” Kevin said.

Sam huffed out a breath and grabbed his bag before heading up to the house. Dean tossed him a key. “You guys are in the Lucky Room.” Dean said, too distracted by Cas showing him something on the phone to make the obligatory joke. Dean smiled at whatever was on the phone.

“Where are you?”

“Uh, right next door.” Dean hefted a smaller duffel on to his shoulder. “The Adventus Room.”

Cas smirked at the phone. “Cats.” He said.

“Eons old being and he is amused by cat videos already.” Dean muttered. They followed the directions of the concierge and found themselves in a luxurious room with a huge bathroom, incredible views, and flat screen tv.

And only one bed.

As one, both Winchester brothers stepped back in the hall and then checked out each other’s room. They both only had one bed.

One bed.

“You planned this.” Dean said to Sam, ready to punch him in his stupid face.

“How did I plan this? You got the suggestion from Catherine!”

“I don’t know how yet, but this is all your fault!” Dean hissed.

“Why is this my fault?!” Sam hissed back.

“Because you and Kevin aren’t- I mean-” Dean stumbled.      

“We aren’t what?” Sam pressed.

Dean flapped his hands towards the room where Cas had wandered out on the balcony. “You aren’t Cas and me!” He said.

“Thank god for small favors.” Sam muttered.

Dean did hit him for that. “Get dressed. I’m hungry.” He leaned into the room where Kevin was dropping his bag at the foot of the bed. “Watch out, Kevin. He’s a sneaky bastard. You’ll wake up with this dude all cuddled up on you and then-” Dean was literally hauled out of the room and pushed into his own.

Dean turned back to Cas who was out on the balcony. He made his way out there, where Cas leaned against the railing with one hip.

“Hey, man. Sorry, I thought they were all doubles-”

“It makes no difference.” Cas said. “Colorado is beautiful, Dean.”

Dean directed his gaze out to the mountains and had to agree. He did like traveling through the Rockies; there was something very much purple mountains majesty. He smiled at Cas, “Figured you had seen this before.”

“As an angel, we are aware of all the beauty of this world but…” Cas gestured to the mountains, “We don’t truly understand it.”

“You took it for granted.” Dean said, nodding.

“I suppose we did.” Cas turned his eyes to Dean and did that staring thing for a long moment. Dean had wondered if it was just an angel aspect of him but no, apparently it was just a Castiel thing. “I should get dressed.” He said finally.

“Don’t take too long.” Dean looked over his shoulder at Cas. “I need to get into the shower too before we head out.”

Cas nodded and closed the door behind him. Dean leaned against the balcony railing and took a deep breath. There was a lot to be said about country air that city air couldn’t really compare with. It cleared his head. It made him think that almost anything was possible. Maybe when they got this whole Metatron thing worked out, Dean could look for a little piece of land, build something he could call his own. Work salt into the foundation and the entrances of his little house. Make a porch he could sit on during the day. And if Cas didn’t get his Grace back, so what? He could stay with Dean and Sam too, if he didn’t want to go back to school. Of course, the house would have to be bigger and there was Kevin to consider as well. But Cas was there, it would be ok-

Slow down, Dean. It’s his decision. A voice whispered in his mind. Dean nodded and closed his eyes. He waited on the balcony until he heard Cas come out of the bathroom and say softly, “All yours, Dean.”

Dean wanted to pretend he didn’t hear the double edged meaning of those three tiny words. He grabbed his suit and ducked into the bathroom as Cas was pulling on his waistcoat.

 

 ~*~*~

 

Dinner was pleasant and the owners insisted it was on the house. Dean ordered a shot of whiskey to calm his whirling brain and when the owner heard that, he insisted on bringing out the best whiskey they had in the house. With a honey base and a smoky aftertaste, Dean understood the price. The stuff was smoother and richer than anything he had tasted before. He took a small sip and ordered the rest of the bottle. Sam looked worried but Dean just shook his head. “This is the kind of stuff you savor, Sammy.” He saw Kevin eyeing the bottle and poured a small taste in his glass. “Try it. Don’t spit it out though. Stuff is expensive.” Although Dick Roman’s money could take a little abuse. Kevin raised the glass to his mouth and Dean was only momentarily worried about getting a prophet of the Lord shit faced while in public. Kevin swallowed the whiskey and let out a hefty sigh.

“That stuff packs a punch.” He said. Dean laughed.

“May I?” Castiel asked from near Dean’s left elbow. Dean remembered Castiel’s tolerance for alcohol but that pleasant memory, of watching him take shot after shot with Ellen before finally “feeling something” was chased quickly by the Castiel of the future; drugged up, drunk and hopeless. Dean’s hand hesitated on the bottle for a moment. He had yet to share that particular memory with anyone.

“You will let an eighteen year old child have a sip and not me?” Castiel asked, raising his eyebrow before tugging the bottle out of Dean’s hand and pouring a generous helping for himself.

Turns out, Castiel the Human did not have the tolerance that Castiel Angel of the Lord did. The four of them shuffled out of the restaurant, Dean’s arm wrapped around Castiel’s waist. Cas giggled helplessly and Sam rolled his eyes. Dean stuffed Cas into the passenger seat, buckled him in and looked at the other two.

“Thanks for your help, guys.” He said, panting a little bit.

“You, uh, looked like you had everything under control.” Sam said, a grin wide on his face.

“He gets a little handsy when he’s drunk. You were fine.” Kevin said, hiding behind Sam.

“Fuck you both.” Dean muttered.  

The drive back to the bed and breakfast was blissfully short, as Cas began to ramble about all the different kinds of music there was and how Dean really was shortchanging himself into believing that the four albums he insisted on were the be all and end all of the music world. They arrived, not a moment too soon and Dean held onto his waist while entering the bed and breakfast and all the way up the stairs.

“Did you know, that according to some of my siblings, reincarnation is not only possible,” Castiel hiccuped, his breath warm on Dean’s neck, “But probable? Dad could only create so many souls, you know?-

“You call Him Dad?” Kevin asked.

Cas waved the question away and almost smacked Dean in the face.“-And that I have been around this block so many times, have disobeyed so many times, been re-programmed so many times, that I’ve probably met you before?”

“Think so?” Dean said, tugging Castiel down the hall. Kevin and Sam followed them down the hall, both listening closely to what Cas was saying.

“I would like to think so.” Castiel looked all the way up at Sam who smirked at him. “I would like to think that the Winchesters would be the only reason to make me turn my back on my family and eons and eons of work and training.” Cas turned those big blue eyes to Dean and tipped his head back. “I would like to think that my Fall is only the culmination of thousands of years of you.”

“Nah, man. I’m sure there were plenty of instances that you fought against Heaven and your Dad that didn’t have anything to do with me.” Dean said, trying to fight the heated blush he could feel as Cas continued to first look and then squint at him.

“Naomi told me that I first rebelled during the Plagues of Egypt, Dean.” Castiel said seriously. There was a weight and a tone to his words that meant that Cas had some kind of underlying message, something important to convey but Dean came up empty.

“Naomi was a horrendous bitch who got what she deserved.” Dean replied. Cas continued to watch him as Dean tugged him down to their room. Once in there, Cas fell onto the bed.

“Come on, man. Shoes, at least.”

“Don’t care.” Cas mumbled.

Moments later, he was snoring softly.

Dean brushed his teeth and as he begrudgingly began to tug Castiel’s clothes off, his words echoed through his mind. “Naomi told me that I first rebelled during the Plagues of Egypt, Dean.”  After he pulled a pair of knit pants on Castiel’s hips and, no, he’s not thinking what he thinks he’s thinking because Dean Winchester does not think things like that, not about his best friend but dear god in heaven help me because I am in a world of shit-

Dean stopped thinking about what he was most distinctly thinking about and reached over to the side table of the bed. In there, just like every other place he’s ever stayed at, was the King James Bible. He used the index to look for the Plagues of Egypt. Dean frowned at Castiel when he snorted in his sleep and rolled over. Sam had the laptop which would make his life so much easier. He figured Cas was in no danger of puking and choking so he slipped out of the room and tapped on the door next to their room. Sam answered, eyes forming a question but Dean waved him off.

“Everything’s fine. Just need the laptop for a second.” He said.

Kevin sat on the edge of the bed, flipping through channels. There was a bowl of popcorn next to him and an empty bag of M&Ms. Two bottles of soda were at his feet and he finally stopped channel surfing when he found the Goonies.

“Good movie.” Dean said, as he flipped open the laptop.

“Great movie.” Kevin amended, holding out a bottle of soda to Sam who sat down next to him.

“What are you looking for?” Sam asked.

“The Plagues of Egypt.” Dean muttered, waiting for laptop to boot up.

Kevin looked at Dean and rolled his eyes. “You could have just called and asked. I am a prophet. I got the whole book downloaded to my brain.” Kevin said, tapping his forehead. “There were ten.” He held a finger for each one he counted off. “Water into blood. Lice. Frogs. Wild animals and/or bugs, no one can agree. Death of livestock. Boils.” Kevin shuddered at that. “Storms of fire. Locusts. Darkness. And the one I think Castiel was referring to. Death of the firstborn son.”

“What?” Dean asked. He vaguely remembered it, but the meaning locked into place when Kevin looked at him meaningfully. It felt like a sledgehammer to the face. Cas said that reincarnation was probable. If Sam and Dean were alive all those years ago and Cas knew what was coming and knew Dean and if Dean was then who he even kind of was now-

“They would not let his people go.” Kevin said with a shrug. “So each plague was visited on them. Death of the firstborn son was the final act.” Sam and Dean continued to stare at Kevin who continued, “God said, and I quote,

‘About midnight will I go out into the midst of Egypt:

And all the firstborn in the land of Egypt shall die, from the firstborn of Pharaoh that sitteth upon his throne, even unto the firstborn of the maidservant that is behind the mill; and all the firstborn of beasts.

And there shall be a great cry throughout all the land of Egypt, such as there was none like it, nor shall be like it any more.’”

There was silence in the room and Kevin and Sam regarded Dean with the same look.

“If reincarnation is not only possible, but probable-” Sam started, picking up the train of thought where Dean had just left off.

“Yeah, I get it Sam.” Dean said. He closed the laptop gently and nodded at both of them. “Long drive tomorrow. Gotta get some rest.”

As he was shutting the door he heard his brother sigh. “Good night, Dean.”

 

~*~*~

 

Dean rolled over on the bed. There was a gulf of space between him and Cas. Not because Dean planned it that way; the bed was just that fucking huge. He cast a glance over at the hulking shape that was his best friend who was sleeping quite nicely. No matter how Dean tossed and turned, Cas slept on.

Cas was not asleep. But he figured his best bet was to let Dean think he was so he could relax and finally drift off. So he watched the stars and the moon as they traced their way across the sky and his best friend tried to sleep just behind him.

“Did you know, that seen from the moon, the Earth also goes through phases?” Castiel asked suddenly. Dean was still tossing and turning. He stilled at Castiel’s words. “Seen from a different perspective, everything is skewed, wouldn’t you say?”

“Everything is skewed, Cas. Life is just one big… skew.” Dean agreed.

“You can skew towards truth and beauty, Dean.” Cas said. The moon seemed especially bright that night.

“Or you can be skewed towards death and destruction.”

“Skew away from that.” Castiel advised solemnly

“Use a different word, man.”

“Everything changed, Dean.” Castiel said and rolled over to meet Dean’s eyes.

“Yeah, I know that.” Dean said, somewhat irritated now. He couldn’t sleep and Cas wants to have a heart to heart at one in the morning.

“No, I mean me. Everything about me has changed, Dean. I don’t know who or- even what I am anymore. What purpose do I serve?”

Dean watched him for a long moment. He knew this was coming. Cas was coming to grips with being a human. Sort of. People asked this of themselves constantly throughout their lives. The had such a short time to figure it out, to figure out who they were and why they were here- but some people did. A lot did, towards the end. A lot could figure out if they were here for good or to serve something greater or to teach or to help or even to be the villain. There was a purpose to everything and everyone and at some point, people learned to accept that they would know. Or not.

But as a being who has known his purpose and his place in eternity for all of time, to be jerked out of that and thrown into the complete unknown, had to be jarring. To say the least.

“Your purpose is something you have to find for yourself. No one can give that to you.” Dean whispered.

He was prepared for the collapse. He was prepared for demands of answers, for anger, for denial, hell, tears. What he wasn’t prepared for was the response. Castiel’s face went stiff and cold and unreadable. “What does that mean?”

Dean sighed. “Free will, mostly. It’s what your dad gave us. It’s kind of what Metatron forced on you.”

“Will it always be this hard?” Castiel asked, eyes on the ceiling, hands folded neatly across his chest.

“Yes.” Dean replied.

They didn’t speak for the rest of the night. Eventually, they slept.

 

~*~*~

 

The morning found Dean tangled in a nest of white sheets, fighting to get out. He finally got his head out from beneath the four sets of sheets that had somehow encased him and breathed in deeply, as though he had been drowning. Next to him, sprawled out without a single care in the world, was Cas. Dean noted that the wild bed head was not practiced, but was probably just how Cas was. He snored, Dean noted. And he wasn’t easily wakened, from the way Dean was flailing about, trying to find his way out of the sheets that had entangled him.

Cas opened one eye and peered over at Dean. He flipped over onto his side and muttered, “Don’t stare at me when I’m sleeping. It’s strange.”

Dean laughed loudly. “It’s called karma, you jerk. Get up. We have to get going.” He nudged Cas in the calf with his foot.

“I am a warrior from Heaven, Dean and so help me god, if you kick me again, you will find yourself in pain for at least the rest of the day.” Cas growled.

“Yeah, right. I could kick your ass from here to next Tuesday.” Dean said, with a self satisfied smirk.

“Kicking your ass would not require time travel on my part, Dean.” Cas replied. He flipped over on to his back and smirked at Dean. “I could do it blindfolded.”

“You arrogant son of a bitch.” Dean muttered.

“Say that to my face.” Cas laughed.

Dean turned to face him and then launched himself at Cas. But Cas wasn’t tangled in sheets like Dean still was. Cas caught him easily and flipped him off the bed, where he pinned him against the floor.

“One.” Cas said. He eased off Dean, slowly watching his movements.

Dean’s throat went dry.  

“One my ass.” Dean said, raising his hips off the ground violently and throwing Cas to his right, where Dean took the top and landed less gracefully than Cas on top of him. Cas smirked up at Dean and for a moment, Dean forgot that they were wrestling and then things were about to get real fucking weird for him-

But Cas snaked his right wrist out from Dean’s hand and using that hand he pushed himself partially up and shoved himself under Dean so that Dean was sitting almost on his neck and before Dean could think about how weird this had gotten, Cas had hooked one of his legs around Dean’s neck and thrown him backwards, and landed on top of Dean once more. They were both breathing hard at this point.

“Two.” Cas said, calmly.

While Cas might have had some serious moves that Dean was only just learning about, Dean was no slouch either. He swung up, as hard as he could, getting as much momentum from his shoulders to try and hit Cas in the jaw. He pulled the punch at the last second, not wanting to actually hit him, but he trusted the fighter in Cas to block.

And he did. Not only did Cas block he grabbed Dean’s forearm, locked it, and forced Dean over on to his stomach, holding him there while Dean tried to get out of his hold. Cas was barely using any force, it was there to be sure and Cas only needed to apply the slightest bit of upwards pressure for Dean’s arm and shoulder to feel it.

They were both panting and only realized what a mess they had made of things when Sam burst in with Kevin on his heels.

They both looked down at Dean and Cas on the floor, rug burned, sweating and breathing hard.

“Is my brother possessed?” Sam asked evenly.

Cas jumped up, letting Dean go. “Uh, no.”

“Then I don’t want to fucking know.” Sam muttered, turning and all but shoving Kevin out of the room and slamming the door behind him. Dean took a look around the room and realized they had knocked a lamp off the side table, all the blankets were on the floor, and two of the three chairs were on their sides.   

Cas all but swaggered into the bathroom and at the door he turned around, looked at Dean from head to toe, smirked and said, “Three.” He shut the door as Dean felt the blush start in his chest and work its way up.

“That son of a bitch.”    

 

~*~*~

 

Once in the car, Dean began to feel that pain that Cas talked about earlier. It was in his shoulder, near his neck. When he turned one way or the other, he could feel a sharp stabbing. Sam looked over at him once in awhile, noting his strange movements. Cas didn’t say anything from the backseat, as he seemed to be absorbed in the texts that he and Kevin were consulting about a way into Heaven and maybe a way to find Metatron.

It wasn’t much of a concern for Dean. Now that Cas was with them, he felt a certain tension ease from his shoulders and the pit of his stomach. He had heard of some of the fallen angels, people finding what was left of their bodies, finding them in comas, doctors unable to figure out what was going on, and slowly but surely dying. It was a fact. All the people that had fallen from the sky, if not dead from the impact and god knows how they even survived that, were dying in these hospital beds. Alone. That’s what Dean thought about the most. When Kevin and Charlie scrambled through sleepless nights, hacking videos, files, records, creating a facial recognition program to find Cas, all he could think about was Cas in some backwoods clinic in the middle of nowhere, dying. All he could think about was that if this was it, if this was Cas dying, if he was Graceless and he wouldn’t make to see another summer, then he would be there. He would find him if it was the last possible thing he ever did. Everything he did, everywhere he went, it was all to find Castiel. Sam brought up a hunt once and Dean so effectively shut that down that Sam didn’t bring it up again and managed to redouble everyone’s efforts.

There were nights that Dean would stay up in his room, unable to sleep and unable to move. His head was in turmoil and his stomach was often upset. He was unable to keep anything down and even Jody offered him some homemade soup to quell his unease. Sam worried over his brother and even though he himself was better, he still wasn’t a hundred percent. Sam would toss and turn, torn between going to his brother to talk or just to sit or to leave him to his own thoughts. Most nights, leaving Dean to his own thoughts won out. But Sam was pacing the halls one night when he heard Dean’s door being thrown open and hurried footsteps to the opposite end of the hall. Excited, he followed his brother’s footsteps, thinking maybe he had gotten word from Cas.

Instead, he found Dean over the toilet, vomiting what meager contents his stomach had been able to tolerate that day. Sam wet a small towel with cold water and laid it across the back of Dean’s neck. Dean twitched but was otherwise so preoccupied he didn’t notice. Sam got a glass of water ready and handed it wordlessly to Dean who rinsed out his mouth before handing it back to Sam. His brother was losing weight and Sam barely noticed Dean leaning against his legs.

“I can’t think about it without knowing it’s all my fault. I should have made him stay with us, Sammy.”

Sam reached down and hauled Dean to his feet and looped an arm around him. “You couldn’t make Cas do a damn thing. That’s like telling the earth which way to turn.”

“Stubborn little shit.” Dean agreed wearily.  

“Learned from the best.” Sam remarked.

But here they were now, Dean glancing a few times too often in the rearview mirror to see if Cas was still there even though they all knew that it was no longer in Castiel’s power to fly off. Occasionally Cas would lean forward to ask Dean something, clarify a word’s meaning, to ask his opinion about things in Purgatory, if he remembered this or that monster clearly, if they possibly had this weapon at the bunker. Sam said nothing, but he did notice the way Castiel’s  fingers skated along the back of his brother’s neck, the way Dean leaned into the touch and the small smile that snuck up on Castiel when he did. And the image of walking in on his brother and his best friend wrestling half naked and seeing his brother, who could beat almost anyone at hand to hand, having his ass handed to him had solidified Sam’s opinion of what was going on.

Which was exactly nothing. There was precisely nothing going on. And that’s what was wrong.

Dean passed a scenic overlook sign and considered his options.

“Hey, anyone have any pressing matters to get back to?” He asked.

Sam looked at him curiously. “Not me.”

“No.” Kevin said.

Cas shook his head.

A mile later Dean was turning down a bumpy road that promised amazing views of Island Lake. He pulled into a dirt parking lot and everyone jumped out. Dean grinned and stretched. “Come on guys! Show a little enthusiasm! We never get to stop and just enjoy shit.”

Kevin and Sam exchanged a look while Cas headed over to a small cabin that was a small grocery store. Dean hurried after him.

“What’s gotten into him?” Kevin asked. “A week ago he was ready to kill himself and now- I don’t know. I’ve never seen him like this.”

“Happy?” Sam asked and rocked back on his heels. “Yeah, it’s what I call the Castiel Effect.”

They started after the two of them.

Inside they were leaning up against the counter talking to a man and a woman. The pair behind the counter waved at Sam and Kevin when they walked in. Both offered small smiles in return. “Do we need anything?” Kevin asked.

“Not really. Maybe some water if Dean really does want to hike.” Sam said softly.

“All right.” Kevin said, picking up several of the bottles and handing them off to Sam.

“I think it would be fun.” Castiel was saying when Kevin and Sam finally brought up their purchases.

“What’s that?” Sam asked, pulling out his wallet.

“Travis and Danni here rent out small cabins by the lake. Cas was inquiring on prices and such.” Dean replied. Sam raised his eyebrows at Kevin who did the same thing as they both turned away.

“No?” Cas said. He shook his head. “It was silly. We were going to just hike down to the lake, right Dean? We can still do that-”

“No, let’s stay.” Kevin said suddenly. He was seized with an idea. “Yeah, let’s stay a couple days. We’re always in the bu- at home.” Kevin said, catching himself. “Let’s hang out for awhile. I was reading outside the Island Lake is supposed to be one of the hidden gems of Colorado.”

“Best times are at dawn and sunset.” Travis said, pulling out a map. “We can rent you a couple of quads as well, because your beauty out there will not like the trails.” He said, nodding to the Impala. “If you guys packed warm clothes, you’ll be doing ok. If not, nearby Silverton has some shops that can outfit you for a couple of days.”

Danni pulled out another pamphlet and laid it out. “We’ve got six cabins open right now. Each comes equipped with two beds in a one room cabin. Each cabin is heated by a fireplace. It also has a small kitchenette and there are three nearby grills. In the linen closet you will find plenty of blankets and towels.”

“Sounds amazing.” Sam admitted, leaning over Dean’s shoulder to get a better look at the cabins.

“I’m in.” Kevin said quickly.

“Me too.” Dean said.

Cas looked at Sam, his eyebrows raised. “Yeah, ok.” Sam said. “What do we have waiting for us back at home?”

“We’ll take two.” Dean said, putting his card on the counter.

Kevin and Sam decided to take one of the quads directly to the lake and get fires going. At almost twelve thousand feet, nights got cold. Warming up the cabins was not their worst idea. Dean and Cas decided to head down to Silverton to grab some warmer jackets and a few groceries.

Once in town, Dean and Cas gathered everything they needed in record time, wanting to head back up to the lake to see what it looked like at sunset. They returned back to the small store where Danni showed them a barn where they would lock the Impala up until they got back. Dean thanked them while Cas started tying down their packages and Dean hopped on, Cas on the back and they headed up to the lake.

They found Kevin and Sam with ease. The cabins themselves were set back into the woods,lending an unobstructed view to the lake which indeed had a small lake in the middle of it. There was a nearby dock and grills closer to the cabins where they parked the quad. Sam and Kevin were at the lake, skipping stones.

Dean and Cas stepped up closer to them.

“Cas.” Kevin said seriously. “This was the best idea ever. Have you ever seen anything this beautiful?”

The question was pointless. Dean and Sam had crossed the country several times in their lives and nothing lived up to what was before them. The water was a blue that was impossible and took Dean’s breath away. There was a curtain of wildflowers in a field directly across from them. The sun began to set only moments later and Travis was right; sunset was the best thing Dean had seen in a long, long time. It turned the beautiful blue of the lake into a molten sheet of glass.

“Jesus.” Dean said.

They stood there until the stars started coming out and Dean pulled on a beanie. Cas tucked a scarf around his neck and Sam started up the grill. Kevin was pulling steaks out of the grocery bags from the cabin that Dean and Cas had dropped everything off in. Cas found chairs in a small closet and pulled four of them out and they all waited while Dean got to work, grilling the steaks up. They didn’t talk much and Sam switched on his phone and Otis Redding, These Arms of Mine, played through the speakers. Dean swayed gently to the music. He smiled down at the steaks for a moment.

“One of the first memories I have of mom and dad was sneaking downstairs because I heard mom laughing. This song was playing and dad was dancing her around the kitchen.” He tilted his head back. “Aw, Sam. I wish you could have seen them. They weren’t always happy, but when they were, man.” Dean shook his head. Sam tilted his head back and watched his brother.

“It’s ok. I get to see you happy.” Sam said. Dean’s smile was easy.

“You sap.” Dean said gently. He plated the steaks a little while later and they ate in relative silence around the dying fire. After he was done eating, Kevin scooped up a bucket of water from the lake and dumped it on the fire.

“This was the job my dad gave me when we used to camp.” Kevin said, stirring the ashes to make sure they were completely out. “Make sure the fire was out.” He smiled.

“What was he like?” Cas asked. Kevin rarely spoke of him.

“Um, he was funny.” Kevin said, nodding. “He waited on my mom hand and foot. Not because she wanted him to but because he was so in love with her, it was gross. He was quiet, I guess kind of shy. Smartest person I have ever known.”

“He sounds like a good man.” Dean said evenly.

“He was.” Kevin whispered.

“I’m gonna head on to bed.” Dean said after a moment. “Sam?”

“What?”

“You coming?”

“Later. Kevin and I already put our stuff away.” Sam said.

“Wait. Who am I rooming with?” Dean asked.

“Cas.” Sam said, a look of confusion coming over his face. “I just thought-”

“I’m gonna go to bed too.” Kevin said suddenly, standing up. “Real tired.” He chuckled nervously and headed up to the cabin.

“Yeah, you know what? Me too.” Sam said, following close behind. They reached the small porch at the same time and Sam all but pushed Kevin inside.

Dean and Cas watched in silence.

“I’m tired.” Cas finally said, standing and stacking the chairs. He carried them up to the porch and entered the cabin.

“Hell.” Dean muttered. He followed Cas into the cabin and walked in just as Cas went into the bathroom, a stack of clothes in hand. He heard the shower turn on and quickly changed into the flannel pajama pants he had bought earlier and an old tshirt that smelled like the soap from the bunker.

Cas opened the door a few moments later and Dean was already laying down on his bed.

“All yours.” Cas said softly. When Dean passed by him, he could smell the cheap vanilla shampoo he used himself and his mouth watered. He turned and watched Cas rub his hair dry and wanted nothing more than to take the towel from him and do it himself.

“Aw, hell.” Dean sighed and turned back to the bathroom. He put his hand on the doorknob and paused. Cas was at the window, staring out. Fuck, Dean thought helplessly.

“Cas?” He said. Cas turned to him.

“I’m glad you’re back.”

Cas smiled.

Dean’s resolve broke and he turned from the bathroom door and headed straight to Cas who had the strangest look on his face. It crumbled when Dean slipped his hands up to his neck and angled his mouth very slightly and pressed his mouth to Castiel’s in a single, sweet kiss.

“I missed you.” Dean said. He kissed him again. “I missed you.” Cas was stunned and could only hold on to Dean’s hips under the onslaught. “I missed you.”

Cas stumbled back but pulled Dean with him and they crashed into the small table in the kitchenette. Dean pushed him back against the counter and then lifted him up on to the counter. Cas huffed and scrambled back onto the counter.

“Dean,” Cas gasped when Dean tilted his chin back and he traced the line of his throat with his tongue. “Dean.” He said, trying to get his attention now.

“Please don’t ask me to stop.” Dean begged, his hands finding bare skin underneath Castiel’s shirt.

“No, but I think I broke the toaster.” Cas said, worry in his voice. He tried to twist around to see but that only gave Dean a wider range of his neck, which he took full advantage of. Cas sighed and ran his hands up Dean’s neck and into his short hair.

“Is this ok?” Dean asked, his fingers pressing into the soft skin there.

“Yes.” Castiel said.

“What about this?” He asked, pressing small kisses to his jaw.

“That’s fine.” Cas said gently.

“And this?” Dean said, tugging Castiel’s earlobe gently into his mouth.

“Y-yes.” Cas stuttered, his breath leaving him. “Why are you asking me so many questions?”

“Because I only have one opportunity to learn all about you, Castiel. And you only get your first time once. I’ll be damned, again, if I screw this up for you.”

It was Castiel’s turn to pull Dean to him and he leaned in for a kiss. A kiss. He could do this now, this simple thing belonged to Castiel and no one else.

It was a heady feeling; belonging. Dean nipped at his throat and then soothed the slight sting with a slow lick. Cas forgot how to breathe. He caught Dean’s mouth with his own and held him close kissing, kissing, kissing.

Dean pulled away, gasping. “You’re going to kill me.” He said.

“There are worse ways to die.” Cas said, skimming his palm down Dean’s cheek. Dean caught his open palm and placed a kiss there and folded Cas’s hand around it.

“Come here.” Dean said, tugging him forward and off the counter and away from the toaster that was, indeed, broken. He pulled him towards the bed and stood at the foot there for a moment, looking down at Castiel, running his hands up and down his forearms.

“Dean, I don’t know what we’re doing.” Cas finally confessed.

“I know, man.” Dean said gently and pressed a kiss to his bottom lip. “Anything you don’t want to do, anything you want to try, just tell me. I don’t care what it is, ok? I don’t care if we are in the middle of something and I’m really enjoying myself. You want to stop, we stop.” He pressed another kiss to Castiel’s mouth and Cas thought Dean crazy; he never wanted to stop touching him. “I’m serious, Cas.” Dean said, pulling away. “Tell me you understand.”

Cas shook his head. “I don’t though.” He pulled Dean in close, a little rough. He watched Dean’s eyes go wide. “Why would I ever want to stop?”

“Just an off chance.” Dean murmured and tilted Castiel’s chin back, also a little rough. He kissed him again and Cas felt the need this time; he felt how much Dean wanted this. He returned the kisses a little desperately. He turned them so that Dean had his back to the bed and pushed him back on it. Cas fell on top of him and pushed Dean’s shirt up so that he could find that expanse of warm skin he had been skating his fingers across.

Cas laid his cheek against Dean’s stomach, trying to catch his breath. Dean seemed to be doing the same thing above him. “I have no idea what I’m doing.” Cas finally confessed. He pressed a kiss to Dean’s ribs and felt him sigh.

“This is fine.” Dean said, carding his hand through Castiel’s hair. “This is good.”

“I want more.” Cas whispered. Dean’s hand stilled.

“Let me show you.” He said after a long moment.

Cas raised his head and Dean patted the bed beside him, “Come up here.”

Reluctantly, Cas left the warmth of Dean’s body and crawled up next to him. He wasn’t cold long, though. Dean rolled over and covered his mouth with gentle kisses, working his way down to Castiel’s neck and then to his collarbone. He made Cas sit up and tugged his shirt off of him, tossing it over his shoulder. Dean kissed seemingly random places, sometimes biting him gently. Cas felt like he was on fire and Dean was only pressing more warmth to him. Dean stopped at his hip and licked there gently.

“More?”

Cas nodded, unable to find the words.

“You have to tell me, Cas. Yes?”

“Yes, Dean.” Cas replied, finally.

Dean hooked his fingers around the waist of Castiel’s pants and tugged them off, standing up as he did so. Cas shivered under his gaze and then Dean crawled between his knees. He kissed at his hips and moaned softly into his inner thigh. He looked up at Cas and he saw the crazy, desperate need in his eyes. “I’m gonna-” Dean’s breath hitched but Cas got the message. He nodded.

Dean leaned over and and licked Castiel from root to head and he forgot how to breath. Dean’s mouth was warm silk and electricity and velvet-

“D-Dean.” Cas begged. Dean pulled off.

“No?”

“I-” Cas cleared his throat.

“It’s ok.” Dean said, coming up to lay near him. “We don’t have to.”

“No, it’s not that.” Cas finally got out, his eyes wide. “Can I, uh, can I be vocal?”

“That’s what you wanted to ask me?” Dean said, propping himself up on his arm. Cas nodded.

“Cas, you just go to town.” Dean said, spreading Castiel’s legs and placing those warm gentle kisses all over his hips and thighs again until Cas was begging.

“Dean, please.”

“What, Cas?”

“I need you.”

“I’m right here.” Dean whispered. “I ain’t going anywhere.” Dean lowered his head to Castiel’s cock and there was that feeling again, warm and welcoming and the measured feeling of finally. Even if he were in full possession of all his faculties, Cas would only be able to say that Dean did a thing with his tongue that was the sweetest kind of torture and had him begging for more and scratching at Dean to pull him closer. Dean swallowed him down almost entirely and Cas saw stars.

“Dean, I’m- please- Dean- I can’t.” Cas pleaded. Dean got the message and looked up at Cas with a look of yes, all right in his eyes and Cas felt a release that he had never known before. He held on to Dean’s shoulders and whimpered when it became too much.

He felt like he was a puddle.

A messy, sweaty, intrigued puddle.

Dean sat up and wiped at his mouth. “Did you learn anything?” He asked with a mock sternness.

Cas grinned. “I believe, you will find me to be a prized student.”

“Let’s not get too cocky.” Dean said.

“Pun?”

“Oh, absolutely.”

“Well, if you would be so kind, I would like to show you all the things I have learned.” Cas said, sitting up.

Dean’s face fell. “Cas you don’t have to. I wanted to. Like, I really, really wanted to. This isn’t a favor you have to return.”

“You think I don’t want to?” Cas said, manhandling Dean to his back and pushing him down roughly. He pulled his pants down with a jerk and straddled him for a moment, watching the blush travel up his neck. “You are so fucking beautiful, Dean Winchester.” He rolled his hips once, offering a little friction and he watched Dean’s hands clench on the comforter. He leaned down and kissed Dean’s mouth, still warm and wet.

“You are allowed to be vocal as well,” Cas said and watched Dean’s eyes go wide. “I welcome any and all instruction.”

 

 ~*~*~

 

The following three days were paradise, in Dean’s opinion. They rarely ventured far away from the lake, roasting marshmallows, eating all their meals from the grill and hiking through the woods.

Every single one of those nights belonged to Castiel. They were golden and sweet, filled with soft sighs and tangled limbs.

“Dean?” Cas asked suddenly, one night. His head was on Dean’s stomach and he was laying between his legs.

“Yeah?”

“What about Sam?” Cas’s breath was warm on his belly.

“What about him?” Dean sounded distracted.

“Are we going to tell him?”

Dean’s brow furrowed. “Yeah of course. Why wouldn’t we?”

Cas sighed and laid his head back down. “I just want this to be ours for a little while longer.”

Cas could feel the undefinable tension in Dean shift away. “Yeah, we can do that.” He said softly and ran his fingers through Castiel’s hair.

Cas sighed.

For Dean, he would keep this a secret until he died if Cas wanted it that way.

 

         ~*~*~

 

Three relaxing days later, Dean reluctantly agreed with Sam that they did need to get a move on. He had slept funny the night before and now he had a crick in his neck and leaving their small oasis was not doing his mood any favors. They packed up their quads, returned them to Danni and Travis and hit the road.

They stopped several hours later. Dean was still pulling and rubbing at his neck while he gassed up and Kevin and Sam went inside for a snack run. Sam muttered something about updating Charlie so she could get some sleep or maybe a coma. Cas stood and stretched. He surveyed the road in front of the nearly deserted gas station and glanced at Dean.

“Do you want me to fix it?” Cas asked.

Dean glanced up from the gas tank. “Huh?”

“Your neck. I can fix it.”

“You don’t have your Grace.” Dean said.

“And doctors are able to help people everyday without it.” Cas said, rounding the car and coming up behind Dean. He placed one hand on his shoulder and the other dug into an especially tender part of Dean’s neck and dug. Dean hissed but almost immediately felt a release and relief.

“That is so much better.” Dean said, flexing his shoulder and rolling it back against Castiel’s palm. Cas only smiled. “How much longer do we have until we reach the bunker?” He asked.

“Not long. Another couple hours.” Dean followed his gaze down the empty road. “You never minded traveling in the Impala before.”

“I had other options before. This single mode of transportation is constricting.” Cas said.

“What, my baby not good enough for you?” Dean asked, feigning offense.

“Don’t be ridiculous. I believe it’s just restlessness.”

“Why are you restless?”

“It wasn’t so long ago I had eighty foot wings strapped to my back, Dean. You figure it out.” Cas said, his mood swinging back to anger so quickly that Dean frowned at him. “I’m sorry.” Cas muttered, after seeing the look on Dean’s face. He walked away and Dean opened his mouth to shout after him but his phone buzzed in his pocket. He looked over at Sam and Kevin coming out of the convenience store, loaded down with snacks. Kevin caught sight of Cas walking away from Dean and met Dean’s eyes, the question already on his lips. It died there when he saw Dean raise the phone to his ear but the caller had already hung up. Dean didn’t recognize the number and figured if they needed to call back, they would. The three of them all frowned at Castiel’s retreating back.

“I got him Twizzlers.” Kevin said, holding up the package.

“He’ll appreciate that.” Dean said. The three of them climbed into the car, Sam taking the backseat once more. Dean started the car and when they got close to Cas, Sam leaned out the window and wolf whistled at Cas.

“Hey there, good looking. Going our way?” He yelled out the window.  

Castiel frowned at him.

“Come on, angel cake!” Kevin whooped from his place. He waved the Twizzlers out the window. “I got you candy!”

Castiel glared at Kevin who smiled widely in return.

“Cas.” Dean pleaded.

Cas sighed and pulled the door open. “I’m sorry.” He said. He accepted the Twizzlers Kevin offered him. “I’m still getting used to being human. Your emotions are very close to the surface. Not having my wings- it’s a struggle I was not aware I would have to deal with.”

“It’ll be fine.” Dean promised. Sam clapped him on the shoulder. Kevin stole a Twizzler.

The ride back home to the bunker was relatively quiet, Dean even keeping the music low. Cas leaned against the window and watched the scenery pass by. Kevin and Sam spoke quietly. At the outskirts of Lebanon, his phone buzzed in his pocket.

“This is Dean.” He said, not recognizing the number.

“Hey Dean, Sheriff Mills here. Got a minute?”

Dean smiled. “I’ve always got a minute for the most beautiful sheriff I know. What can I help you with?”

Sam raised his eyes to Dean’s in the rearview mirror. Dean shrugged.  

“I’ve got something up here that I might need your help with. People are going missing left and right. A few bodies have turned up, what’s left of them anyway, but not as many as have gone missing. They are all missing a great deal of blood, chewed through at the throats and upper thighs. Right now, we’re looking upwards of fifteen, maybe twenty five people if you factor in the other counties.”

Dean whistled. “All right. We are just now entering Lebanon. Can we meet you tomorrow?”

Jody hesitated for a moment before saying, “That should be ok. People are mostly staying indoors at night. The reported missing have gone down.”

“All right, we’ll see you then.” Dean said and hung up. “Looks like we got some kind of monster gang up north that needs to be taken care of.”

“What’s going on?” Sam asked.

“Something like twenty five people are missing from Jody’s area and surrounding counties. Bodies are showing up with blood loss, and looking like they were chewed through at the upper thigh and throat.”

“Vampire nest.” Cas said. “Someone is building their own nest.”

“Got it in one, good looking. We’ll get some rest tonight and head up to Jody’s in the morning.” Dean said.

Sam’s eyes flickered to Kevin’s at the off handed compliment Dean served Cas with. They shared a secret smirk.

“If you don’t mind, Dean, I think I’ll sit this one out.” Kevin said.

Dean raised his eyebrows. “Sure, man.”

“I’ll take care of the phones and research.” He volunteered.

“Not a problem.” Sam agreed. He thought for a moment of staying but he knew that Dean might need back up for Cas so he kept the thoughts to himself. He nodded and leaned back. “Early night then.”

“It’s always an early night for you, old man.” Dean remarked, half heartedly. He still worried about any lingering after effects the trials might have had on Sam.

“Shove it, Dean.” Sam said.

They arrived at the bunker shortly after, driving the Impala into a garage that Cas had not seen yet. Kevin jumped out and sighed, a smile on his face. “Home, sweet home.” He announced proudly. He grabbed his bag out of the trunk and headed upstairs. Sam grabbed his own bag and nodded at Dean and Cas.

“While I don’t share his enthusiasm…” Sam said and headed for the stairs himself.

Dean and Cas both grabbed their bags and closed the trunk. They headed up the stairs.

“We cleaned out a room, got it ready for you. You can keep it how you want. I mean, we got some stuff in there that we thought you would like. Sam picked out the comforter. But you can change it if you want-”

Dean threw open a door and Cas headed inside. The comforter was green and brown; well made and thick, Cas knew he would love it right away. There was a desk with a brown journal there and when Cas opened it, he saw a small inscription:

To Castiel, Angel of the Lord, forever and ever.

Amen.

Love, Kevin

“He is too good for us.” Cas muttered.

On the wall was an array of knives, blades and swords that were held in place each by their own custom shelving units. They gleamed in the light.

“I thought you might like it. I was going to make one for your angel blade as soon as you got home since I need the exact measurements so that it will sit right-”

“You made this?” Cas said, turning to look at Dean. “For me?” He asked.

“Yeah, of course. If you don’t like it, I can take it down-”

“Dean, shut up. I love it.” Cas said. It was easy to figure that Cas would be touched by any personal gesture, but this was too much. This was Dean putting a lot of thought and effort into making something that was solely for Castiel and no one else. It was almost too much. He cleared his throat and smiled.

“Thanks, for all of this.”

Dean nodded and turned to the doorway. He stopped by Cas and placed a gentle hand on his shoulder. “You know this is where you belong, right? That this place is yours as much as mine and Sam’s and Kevin’s?”

His throat too tight to speak now, Castiel could only nod. Dean squeezed his shoulder.

“Get some rest. We’ll leave early tomorrow.” Dean looked down at his hands and then up to the doorway. He didn’t hear anyone out in the hallway. He stepped forward and pulled Cas into a soft and easy kiss. “Get some sleep.” He whispered, his words ghosting over Castiel’s lips.  

Cas nodded once more and Dean closed the door behind him gently.

That night, Cas slept easy.

 


	3. The Hunt

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> There's a new hunt that Sheriff Mills needs help with and with it comes new entanglements.

The next morning found Sam dozing in the passenger seat of the Impala as Dean tore down the interstate. There was no real hurry; they had already spoken to Jody that morning and there had been no more people missing the previous night. Sometimes, though, Dean just liked to go fast in his car. Sam didn’t understand it but had long ago stopped trying to get him to slow down.

Cas patiently sipped coffee in the back and paged through a book that looked older than almost any other book they had. He was dressed in a dark blue tshirt with a faded logo of some kind on the front and jeans. His work boots fit a little better and his hair was slightly more mussed than usual. The ride sped by quickly, Sam taking over for a couple of hours so that Dean could take a nap in the backseat.

When they arrived in Sioux Falls, Dean checked them into a hotel, and they all went up to their room where they changed. Dean took a quick shower and then they headed out. Cas kept tugging at his collar and Dean kept batting his hand away from his neck. They pulled into the station and waved their badges at the young woman at the front desk and she showed them into Jody’s office where she sat, sipping on mint tea.

“Boys.” She said warmly and came around her desk, hugging first Sam and then Dean. She stopped in front of Castiel.

“And you must be Castiel.” She said with a quiet smile.

“No doubt you are the beautiful sheriff that Dean was talking to.” Cas said.

Dean and Sam looked shocked while Jody looked amused. “You’ve been hanging around Dean too long.”

“One thing about Dean, he does not lie when it comes to how beautiful women are. Sam has fine taste as well and they are both adequate teachers.”

“Dude.” Sam breathed. “In two sentences he complimented everyone but himself in this room.”

“I never knew you were so smooth, Cas.” Dean remarked.

“I am eons old, Dean. I would have hoped to have picked up something.” He said. They all settled themselves in chairs and turned to Jody who handed Sam a manilla folder. He flipped it open and whistled.

“Cas here thinks an alpha vamp might be in the area, building a new nest.” Dean said. He leaned forward, his forearms on his thighs. “What do you think?”

Jody leaned back in her chair, her cup of tea in her hands once again. She considered the thought for a long moment as Sam and Cas went through the case file. Dean wouldn’t; he would ask Sam if he needed to know anything.

“I think it’s possible. With the way people have been disappearing, it’s probable. Any other lines of thought?”

“Could be anything.” Cas said, “Witches, warlocks, demons on the hunt for new vessels, angels on the hunt for new vessels. We will need more conclusive evidence before we can say either way.”

“Fair enough.” Jody said. “Anything I can do to help?”

“Not until we figure out what it is that we are chasing. We’re staying at the Homewood.” Dean said. “You have our number if you need us right away.”

Jody nodded and stood with them. “It was good to see you boys. And if you need anything, just call.”

“Thank you for the information.” Cas said, raising the folder.

“Anytime.”

Back at the hotel, Sam spread out the evidence folder on a table. He used a map to try to find the center of the activity with no luck. He went back through the disappearances and tried to pinpoint a connection between the missing people but again and struck a mental wall.

“I mean, there is no pattern.” Sam said suddenly, interrupting a lazy game of War between Cas and Dean who were slapping down cards on the bed. Dean had changed into a red tshirt with faded yellow lettering and Cas was in pajama pants that featured yellow rubber duckies and a faded gray tshirt. Sam had only taken off his jacket and loosened his tie before he got down to work. “The only pattern here is the complete lack of pattern. Old, young, across racial backgrounds, taken from bars, grocery stores, libraries, school yards- this thing is all over the map.” Sam frowned down at the map, confused. He tossed his pen down on it in frustration.

“Call Kevin.” Dean said.

“Why?” Sam asked, looking at the map.

“Fresh eyes.” Dean said. He stood and stretched. “Chinese food good for everyone?” Sam gave him the thumbs up as he spoke into his phone and Cas nodded. Dean picked up the keys and headed out the door, already having a place in mind.

“I’ll send you the names and maybe you can find something I didn’t.” Sam said. He was already typing into his laptop. “Hey, you were the one that wanted to sit this one out, man. And you promised to help with research.” Sam listened for a moment and stopped typing. There was the smallest of smiles on his face, something Cas hadn’t caught before. He shuffled the deck in his hands, spinning the cards with his fingers restlessly. He tried to remain as quiet as possible, having not seen this look of quiet amusement on Sam’s face, ever. “Ok, fine. You pick the first movie when we get back. No, not three movies. Lord of the Rings does not count as one movie just because they were originally written as one novel- Ok, fine. Yes! Now will you run these names and get back to me when you have something?” Sam paused again, his hands over the keyboard. “Yeah, you too. Talk to you soon, Kev.”

Cas snatched up the flimsy cardboard box and began stuffing the cards back inside. He didn’t raise his eyes to Sam, who he knew was looking at him.

“It’s not what you think.” Sam said finally.

“I didn’t think anything.” Cas said defensively, still trying to avoid his gaze. The small box in his hand was not that interesting.  

“Then why won’t you look at me, Cas?” Sam asked.

Cas finally raised his eyes to Sam’s, who held all the answer he needed to the silent question he never even thought to ask.

“Are you in love with my brother?” Sam asked suddenly.

Cas blinked twice, owlishly. The sudden change in conversational direction threw him for a loop and he did not have a placating lie on his tongue fast enough.

“I didn’t think anything, either.” Sam said.

Cas nodded once and looked down at the box of cards in his hand. “I would appreciate it if you wouldn’t mention this to Dean.”

“I’ll ask the same of you.”

Cas nodded.

“It’s scary, Cas. But not always.” Sam said gently.

“That’s what I hear.” Cas said and raised his phone at Sam’s questioning gaze. “I can work the internet pretty well these days.”

Sam laughed. “God help us.” He turned back to his laptop and his research and Cas began to lay out his cards for Solitaire.

Ten minutes later, Sam’s phone rang again. “Hey.” He said warmly. “Find anything?” He listened for a minute, nodding and pulled his map out again. Using a red pen he began to check off small points on the map, nodding and occasionally asking for exact directions. Dean came back in, half way through the conversation. He handed Cas a tub of sweet and sour pork, put another tub in front of his brother and spread out three more on an extra table.

“Yeah, I see it. The Playground?” Sam nodded again, taking the chopsticks Dean offered him. “What time does it open?” Sam scribbled something on his map. “You’re the best Kevin. I’ll call you tomorrow, all right? Yeah, you too.”

Cas and Dean sat on a bed, tubs of Chinese food in their hands. They both looked up at Sam for further explanation, but he just snorted and turned to the bathroom. When he came out he was in much more casual wear.

“So Kevin tells me that it’s true none of the missing or known victims had anything in common but what they did have in common was this bar known as the Playground. They all visited or knew someone who worked there. So my guess is we go there tonight, we see what’s what, and maybe pick up on something the sheriff didn’t.”

Dean nodded and then nudged Cas with his foot. “Definitely going to have to change out of the duckie pajamas.”

Cas sighed.

 

~*~*~

 

Six hours later, Castiel and Sam stormed up steps, the stairs creaking ponderously beneath them.

“Where’s Dean?” Cas managed to pant.

“He said he was right behind us.” Sam replied, looking back for a moment but did not catch sight of his brother.

Cas didn’t reply but Sam caught the same look he cast down the stairs.

“No, Cas. We gotta- we gotta catch her. Once we do, he’ll be ok.” Sam said, his feet beginning to feel like lead. Cas didn’t reply but seemed to find his second wind and continued charging up the second flight of stairs. They caught sight of the witch, her bright red dress, bare feet and dark hair turning ahead of them up the last flight of stairs. Three stories and it was killing Sam. In his defense, he had fought his way through enchanted thorns that tore at his face and his arms, through a nest of vampires that the witch had charmed into protecting her and the stairs were really steep.

The trials might have taken more out of him than he wanted to admit. He needed to get back into the gym.

They came to the third floor and at the end of the hall stood the witch, haughty and proud. The dress clung to her as though tailor made for her and her long dark hair swung past her shoulders. She lifted her chin and smiled at Sam.

“Hey there, little Winchester. Where’s big bro?” She asked. She rolled her shoulders and grinned. Her teeth were even, perfect and white.

“Downstairs, killing your little bastards.” Sam said, rolling his own shoulders back and standing just as tall as he could. He would tower over her. It seemed like she barely broke five foot in her bare feet. He tried not to show how winded he really was.

The witch pouted and shook her head. “They’re not mine, baby Winchester. Just some… I don’t know, baggage I guess you could say, that I cannot shake.” She reached to the bottom of her dress and hiked it up. Cas turned away, still the gentleman.

“Sam, what is she doing?” He asked. Sam shook his head, but watched, only slightly interested in the toned leg underneath. She plucked out a knife that was strapped there and slashed her palm deeply. The witch didn’t wince, barely blinked. Then she knelt, and drew a line across the carpet in front of her. It lit up blue and the witch began to chant.

 

There was a crash and gunshots downstairs and a yell. Cas turned back and then turned to the witch.

“What are you doing to him?” Cas growled, stepping forward.

“Nothing. Nothing whatsoever. Maybe the two of you shouldn’t have left one man alone with five vampires.” She looked up and arched an eyebrow. “Don’t ya think, Castiel?”

Cas growled, actually growled and leapt forward, but the witch dodged him easily. She lifted a palm and threw him into a wall behind her. She flicked a look behind her and said softly, “Manete.” Sam watched as Castiel strained against something but he didn’t move an inch and leaned back against the wall, panting. He raised panicked eyes to Sam.

Then she stood, her spell apparently complete as the noise downstairs had ceased. She licked her palm languorously and smiled at Sam. She held her palm out and there was no cut there.

“Your used-to-be-guardian-angel is out of the game. Big bro is at least unconscious downstairs, and if I’m correct, I can hear those little bastards charging up here. What’s it gonna be, baby Winchester?” She smirked again.

Sam charged forward because she was right, the vampires were coming up the stairs behind him. Maybe if he could get to her, he could use her as a bargaining chip for his brother. She dodged him just as easily as she had dodged Castiel and then she flicked another look back at him. “Manete.” Sam fell against the wall, unable to move. He struggled against his invisible bonds for a moment before stopping. He watched the end of the hall. Without any way to defend himself, he was wide open to any vamp attack.

Much to his surprise, but apparently a fact to the witch, Dean appeared at the top of the stairs.

“Big brother!” She cried out happily. She practically danced in her bare feet and Sam couldn’t help but notice that her toe nail polish matched her dress. Distracted, the bonds that Sam continued to fight against loosened.

“You bitch.” Dean announced. He stalked forward, Castiel’s angel blade in hand.  “Let them go.”

“Or what, Dean?” She asked. “You going to beat me up?” She laughed again and Sam got chills. “Come on, big Winchester. Come and get me.”

And, inconceivably, she adjusted her stance so that she was inviting him to fight her. Dean grinned, wide and crazy for a minute. He charged right at her. Sam opened his mouth to tell him not to try but he was distracted by the three vampires that came right up after Dean. Then Dean was sailing over the witch, and landed in a crumple next to Sam. The witch turned back to the three of them but was distracted by the three vampires that were all of a sudden right there. They stopped at the line of her blood and screamed. They threw themselves at an invisible wall that Sam could almost see; it reflected light strangely but only for a bare second. The witch pulled a small pouch from the thigh holster that held her knife and knelt in front of the three vampires. Cas watched her, head tilted to the side. He didn’t even try to fight against his bonds any longer. The vampires screamed again and beat against the invisible wall in front of the three of them.

Then several things happened all at once.

Dean groaned at his feet.

Sam’s bonds evaporated.

He saw the wall in front of the witch crack.

Sam saw his chance and took it. He dove for her and almost knocked the pouch out of her hands.

“No!” She screamed. She twisted in his arms and it was like he couldn’t keep a hold of her. She held the pouch, snatched the knife from the ground and twisted once more in his arms. The witch raised the knife high and Sam braced himself, waiting for the plunge of the knife.

Instead, the witch turned once more in his arms so that she was laying on her stomach, held Sam’s hand down and sliced across his palm. He gasped but found himself unable to move once again. She took her hand in his, drained some blood into the pouch, threw it over her own blood line, and screamed, “Dissiliunt!” And the vampires exploded in front of their eyes.

They were protected from any of the carnage because of the invisible wall. The other walls were not so lucky. They were soaked in blood, guts and bits of bone. The witch was on her hands and knees now, Sam draped over her, one arm trapped against her waist, the other on the floor.

She dropped her head, panting. She seemed unaware that their position was suggestive at best and Sam was still unable to move. Cas was pinned against the  wall. Dean watched the events with slightly glazed eyes. Finally, Dean cleared his throat and said, “Uh, Sam?”

“I can’t move.” Sam replied evenly.

“Transferam.” The witch said from below him. Cas stumbled to his feet, Dean stood and Sam was able to lean back on his own legs.

The witch turned back around and Sam was surprised to see that she had lost her proud look. She was pale and her hair hung around her almost like a curtain. Her shoulders slumped and her lips were no longer as red as her dress. She stood and raised her hand to Dean. He fell away but she did not redirect her palm to him. “Dissiliunt.” She muttered and the wall fell away, exploding inward. Much to the men’s surprise, there was a staircase there. The witch plucked her knife from the ground and moved to the stairway. Dean made to grab her arm but he either stopped himself at the look she gave him or she made him stop.

“Where do you think you’re going?” He demanded, his voice still rough from fear.

“I’m getting the fuck out of here.” She replied and continued on her way. She looked back and they all watched for a moment until the hallway filled with vampires. “That wall of mine is good but it’s not going to hold forever.”

They did not have a choice. They followed the witch down the dark stairs.

Dean went first, his gun trained on the witch in front of them. “Just because you saved us back there don’t mean shit, lady. A monster is-“

She waved a hand at him. “Yeah, yeah. A monster is a monster.” She sounded tired. She continued on her way. They came to a dead end and Dean scoffed. “Now what?”

The witch gave him such a withering look that Sam was momentarily concerned. Instead she placed her still bleeding hand on the wall and whispered, “Non existe máis.” And the wall was gone. In front of them was the backdoor. She walked confidently towards the door and when more vampires appeared behind them, she snapped her fingers and they were trapped behind another wall of her making.

Each time she used her powers though, Sam noticed she began to drag a little more. Her breathing was becoming labored.

“What’s going on here?” Castiel demanded quietly. He placed a hand gently at her elbow and she turned to look at him. Unlike before, her gaze was wide eyed and awed. He held her gaze for a long moment before Dean placed a hand on Castiel’s chest and gently pushed him back.

“Sorry, lady. No touching the goods.”

“If I’m not mistaken, your boyfriend was the one who touched me.” She sneered, stepping back. Dean opened his mouth to deny that Castiel was his boyfriend, his partner, his- well. Then she turned to the enchanted thorns once again and continued her very slow and halting journey. They followed her at a distance and when they passed the gate, they could see vampires pressed against every single window and door. Silver eyes blinked at them all and open mouths snapped at them.

“Your pets seem hungry.” Sam noted.

“I told you earlier. They aren’t mine.” She insisted, rolling her sleeves up. “I have never, in all my life, met two men who insisted on not listening as much as you two have.”

Dean caught Sam’s gaze and rolled his eyes. Castiel was silent, intently watching the witch. “What’s your name?” He asked.

“Zia.” She replied, carefully folding her sleeves back, her dark eyes intent on the process.

“How long have you been doing this?” He asked, creeping closer to her despite Dean’s looks.

“Oh, baby.” She said and winked at Cas. “I was born into this. You could even say I am a princess in this world.”

Dean exchanged a worried look with Sam but then turned his gaze back to Zia. “Why didn’t you let them eat us?”

“Why would I?” She asked.

“Well, you’re a witch-“ He started.

“And you’re a dick.” Zia snapped back, finally at the end of her patience. “Who would have thought that you could catch such a good soul as Castiel here?” Dean opened his mouth to deny everything but Cas raised his eyes to Dean and Dean shut up. “If you three would be so kind as to step behind me, I don’t want to implode you.” She caught Dean’s eye and shrugged. “Or not. Doesn’t matter to me.”

They did as they were asked and it was only then that Sam caught sight of the tattoos on her arms. They were intricate, black as night and seemed to twist underneath her touch. But then Sam blinked and they were just normal tattoos. “This is too much even for a witch princess, two bad ass hunters and a former angel of the Lord. I’m going to even the odds a little bit. Be ready.” She said over her shoulders. “You know what? I don’t actually know what this spell does, but I think I’m dying at any rate, so why not, right? If I kill you guys, I’m sorry.” Then she turned to front where the vampires had to number over fifty. She spread her feet apart so that they were shoulder width apart and lifted her head to the dark sky.

“I conjure, command, and compel you. Come into the light.” Then she tried to push her forearms together, her fists clenched tight. But it looked like those tattoos, now lighting up a dangerous red, were polar opposites. Her arms would not close. Zia paused, panting.

She tried once more. “I conjure, command, and compel you. Come into the light.” She hissed. The tattoos glowed brighter than before and the screams from the house shattered the quiet of the night. But still, her arms would not meet. She screamed in frustration and even Dean took a step back. Lightning cracked overhead. Thunder shook the ground beneath their feet. Wind shifted the branches of the trees angrily. Clouds crowded the sky. Sheets of rain were dumped on the group. Sam, Cas and Dean raised their eyes to the night sky and back down to Zia. They took several more steps back.

“Dude, witch princesses are powerful.” Dean whispered on the other side of Cas.

“I do not think she is a witch, royalty or not.” Cas whispered back.

“Is she a goddess?” Sam asked.

“That was my line of thought, yes.” Cas answered. A clap of thunder interrupted them and shook the ground beneath them once more. They took several more steps back, backs brushing the enchanted thorns that they had fought their way through earlier.

“By the power of my mother and her mother before her! I conjure. Command. Compel you! Come into the light!” She screamed into the black night and she lit up like the sun at noon. They all stumbled back, hands over their eyes until the night was just night again. When they were able to clear their vision, Zia was on her knees in the mud and leaned back to look at the sky. The clouds were still there, the rain still fell but instead of threatening it felt like it was cleansing the ground of something dirty and soiled that had taken root.

“Thanks for that.” She said gratefully to the stars. “It was a close one there, wasn’t it?” She kissed two fingers and raised them to the sky.

In front of them, the house was demolished. It looked like a wrecking ball had gone through it while there had been bodies in it. But, as it was, in the middle of nowhere, surrounded by enchanted thickets and thorns, there were no neighbors to complain.

“I don’t- I don’t even know where to start to clean this up.” Dean said. He put his gun back into the back of his jeans. But as he spoke, the trees and the thickets and the bushes that surrounded them crept closer, effectively hiding what Zia had just exploded.

“Did you do that?” Castiel asked.

Zia shook her head. “Sometimes, a balance needs to be sought. These creatures were killing that balance, mostly in their favor. The woods were dying. Nature is just taking back what’s Hers.”

They watched silently as the house and carnage and explosion was essentially eaten up. Zia sighed and hung her head. The three men were silent and even when Zia slumped into a cross legged sitting position in the thick mud, they didn’t say anything. Dean turned away.

“Let’s go.” He said and began to march away.

“Dean-“ Sam started.

“No, Sam. She’s what we hunt.” Dean stopped and looked back over his shoulder. “I can look the other way this once but don’t ask me to do this.” He waved a hand in her direction.

“Dean!” Sam demanded and Dean finally turned. When he did, he looked over Sam’s shoulder and threw his hands up in frustration. Castiel, as was his way, made his own decision. He had gathered Zia up in his arms and was carrying her away from the brothers, in a slightly different direction. He was murmuring something to her and she laughed softly and produced a pair of keys.

“Come on.” Dean said. He would leave Cas no more than he would Sam. They followed Zia and Cas, before Dean finally asked, “Where are we going?”

“To Zia’s truck.” Castiel said calmly.

“What?!” Dean asked.

“To her truck. And then I’m driving her back to Jody’s where she will rest until she can leave on her own or until she can contact someone she trusts to come get her.” He said evenly.

“No.” Dean said.

“I did not ask for your permission, Dean.” Cas said and there was a note of finality there that caused Dean to pause. He looked over at Sam but Sam only followed Cas.

“Here, Cas. I’ll drive. Ok?” Sam said, holding his hand out for the keys. Cas looked at Sam for a long moment and nodded, holding out the keys.

“What the hell, guys?” Dean said.

“We’ll see you at the the sheriff’s.” Sam said. Cas shifted Zia in his arms and her head lolled against his shoulder. She was conscious, but only barely. Sam placed a hand on Castiel’s shoulder, stopping him. He placed a hand to Zia’s throat. Her pulse was quick and thready and she was cold. He frowned.

“I think she’s going into shock.” Sam said, pulling off his jacket and wrapping it around her as best he could. “We need to get her back as soon as we can.” They spotted the truck soon after, lighting up from the key fob in Sam’s hand. Castiel held her close, tucking her into his chest as best he could. She trembled under his grasp every now and again, the mud clumping against her chest and clinging to Cas.

Jody’s house was forty five minutes away and Sam didn’t make sure that Dean was following them. Instead, he drove as fast as he safely could, turning the heater on against the October cold. Cas placed a call to Jody and after a quick explanation, she agreed that the only place for Zia to go was her place. She would be waiting for them. Cas hung up after expressing his gratitude.

“She is getting colder, Sam.” Cas said at one point. Sam pressed down on the gas pedal harder.  

They bundled her into Jody’s house, pulling extra blankets out of the closets and setting them on top of her. There was a doctor there, something that gave Sam pause and he subtly pushed Cas behind him, stepping in front of the two. When Dean entered and saw the casually threatening situation, he smiled warmly.

“Hey there. Dean Winchester. My brother Sam. My- Castiel. And that little lady is Zia.”

The doctor looked bored. “Save it, Winchester. I’ve been helping hunters longer than you’ve been alive.”

Jody smiled. “After a werewolf attack, I got in contact with some hunters. They pointed me to this kind doctor here who has been on my payroll ever since. Doctor Weaver this is-”

The doctor waved her silent “And I’ve heard enough of the Winchester brothers and their angel to last me a lifetime. Come on. Let’s see what we can do for her.”

Jody showed them into the back where she already had a bed turned down for Zia. With a quick efficiency, Cas stripped her of her dress and placed her in the bed. The doctor took over, measuring her vitals. He frowned.

“Is she human?”

Everyone shrugged. Jody shook her head.

There was nothing left for him to do after he hooked her up to an IV and left bags and bags of fluids for her. He hugged Jody and scowled at Dean on his way out. Jody excused herself so that she could begin settling everyone else in for the night. There was one bedroom that Jody offered Cas and Dean and Sam figured they would settle in the living room for the night.   

Dean started to settle in when he saw the pile of blankets and remembered how cold Zia was. He sighed and grabbed a couple of blankets. If Cas and Sam wanted to play hero, they could do without some blankets tonight. He went to the bedroom where Sam and Cas were fussing over the witch princess or goddess or who knows what she was, and handed Cas the blanket. After a moment, he took it, and placed his hand on Dean’s.

“Thank you. She is so cold.”

Sam was surprised to see it was Dean’s blanket and he watched as Cas tucked it around Zia’s small frame. She was wearing a pair of Jody’s pajamas that she had loaned them. Cas had brushed her hair out and braided it swiftly, giving Sam a hard look when he had asked where Cas had learned such a skill from.   

“No one seems to understand how old I am. I have many sisters. I was bound to pick things up somewhere, Sam.” Cas said softly. He smoothed the blankets down Zia’s legs once more. “Isn’t it interesting that the vampires we were chasing were chasing her? And moreso, that since we found out that two paranormal groups were in the same vicinity, that we all jumped to the conclusion that they were together?”

“She did call them baggage she could not shake.” Sam agreed, unable to figure out where Castiel was going with this. “Can you do anything for her, Cas?”

“My grace is gone, Sam. Otherwise, I would do everything I can.” He placed a hand on her cheek. “Why is she so cold?” He asked. She continued to sleep.

“I don’t know. If she is what she says she is, then she runs differently than us.” Sam shrugged and place a hand to her neck.

“Take off your clothes and get in with her.” Castiel said.

“Wait- what?” Sam said, turning around to make sure that yes, Castiel was talking to him.

“Dean once mentioned to me that body warmth is best kept by-”

“Cas, could you come here a second?” Dean called from the kitchen. Sam opened his mouth to ask Castiel to wait. Finish his story. What the fuck had happened when his brother and Cas were hunting? But Cas was already gone, off to see what Dean needed. Sam turned his eyes to the door and to the sleeping figure in front of him. He was speechless. At a loss for anything left to do, he retrieved another bag of IV fluids from the closet where the doctor had left them and placed it on the table next to her. He heard the soft rumble of laughter from the kitchen and had to think twice about going down there. Instead, he pulled a chair up to Zia’s bed and sighed. He looked out the open door and back at the possible witch princess in bed. He didn’t really want to leave her alone, but he was still covered in mud and his hair smelled like burned vampire.

Decision made, he stood, and went to the bathroom and quickly stripped. He showered, watched the mud slip down the wide drain and returned to Zia’s room in fresh pajamas and damp hair. He had A Song of Fire and Ice in his hand, intent on reading a chapter before passing a shift off onto either Dean or Castiel.

Instead, five minutes later, he was laid half way across the monstrous bed, fast asleep. Jody appeared in the doorway and smirked. She flicked off the light and closed the door half way. She made her way back to her own room. Unlike some people, she had a normal job that required her to be up at a decent hour.

 

~*~*~

“What if Sam finds out?”

“Cas. Sam won’t care.”

“If Sam doesn’t care, why can’t we tell him?”

“Cas - it’s complicated. It’s hard for me to even say-”

“That you are attracted to a celestial being of intent that just happens to be occupying a body of the same sex as yourself?”

“Yeah, that.”

~*~*~

 

Sam woke up in small doses. There were no nightmares, so he felt ok to drift in that strange territory that is somewhere between sleeping and waking. He felt himself shift towards waking a little bit more and noted that he was not in his own bed, nor was he in a shitty motel bed either. He was warm and he actually felt better for the first time since he quit the trials. He shifted underneath the heavy blankets, noting their pleasant warmth.

“Sam?”

Sam finally opened his eyes and noticed that he wasn’t in a shitty motel bed but neither was he in the bunker. Dean was calling him. Sam struggled to wake for a moment, the thought of ignoring his brother and going back to sleep a tempting thought.

Sam, it’s time to get up.

“All right, what?” Sam said, sitting up in bed and only then getting a look at where he was.

The guest bedroom. In the bed. With Zia.

Sam tried scrambling out of bed so quickly that his feet got tangled in the thick blankets and he tumbled out of the bed, pulling most of the blankets with him. Zia slept on and Cas stepped into the room behind Dean, taking note of Sam on the floor, desperately trying to stand. He said nothing however but Sam caught sight of his stormy expression from his sprawled position on the floor. Cas strode forward and clamped off the line in Zia’s arm, changed the IV bag and left the room without another word.

“Dude, what were you doing in bed with her?” Dean asked evenly, looking more confused than angry.

Sam stood and heaped the blankets back on Zia, if only to give his hands something to do. “I, uh, am not entirely sure. I remember falling asleep in the chair right there,” He nodded to Dean’s left where the chair was neatly tucked back into the corner, “And I just woke up here.”

“Sam-”

“No, Dean. Don’t. I did. I fell asleep in that chair with my book in my hand-”

“Sam, the trials-”

“This isn’t about the trials! I don’t know how I went from there to over here, but it’s what happened.” Sam threw the pillow that he had been twisting in his hands down on the bed and left the room. The last thing Dean heard was the click of the other guest bedroom door being locked. Dean turned, expecting Cas to be there but he was gone as well. He looked back over his shoulder to see Zia staring at him. He opened his mouth to say something but she glared at him.

“I like the other brother better.” She told him flatly and Dean could swear he hadn’t seen such flat out loathing in someone’s eyes since Zachariah would look at him. She pressed a hand to where the IV entered her skin and winced. Some of her color was back but that was the only thing Dean would be able to see before she pulled the covers over her head and burrowed into the warmth that Sam had left behind.

“Yeah, you and everyone else.” Dean muttered as he turned to stomp out of the room.

 

~*~*~

 

“Why are you mad at me?”

“I’m not mad, Dean.”

“Okay…”

“I have not been human long but rest assured, I do know anger. This is more hurt and disappointment and, ah yes. A little anger.”

“Why are you upset with me?”

“Because you are keeping me a secret.”

 

~*~*~

 

Sam scrubbed his face and flopped down on the bed. It wasn’t nearly as warm or as comfortable as the monstrosity that Zia currently occupied and Sam considered, however fleetingly, going back into the room and curling up with her anyway. There was something familiar there. Not in a sexual intent way, but something that made Sam’s breath catch in his throat and he-

He hadn’t felt this way since he had last visited his childhood home, when he had seen the ghost of his own mother and for the first and last time, heard her say his name. That was the only kind of comfort that he could compare to what he felt when drowsing next to Zia. Before Sam had all but thrown himself from the bed, he was gracelessly sprawled on side of the bed. Zia had been asleep next to him, curled protectively around the arm that had the IV in it, but nowhere near Sam.

“Nope. Not doing this.” Sam said out loud. “I’m not.” He stubbornly told his reflection in the mirror. Satisfied, he nodded and pulled on a pair of jeans and a tshirt. He pushed away the thoughts of home and comfort and ease and marched out of the guest room and past Castiel who was leaning against the frame of Zia’s room.

He marched straight into the kitchen and started a pot of coffee, keeping his thoughts away from the witch that was sleeping just yards away. He kept his thoughts away from the fact that since he woke up from sleeping so close to her that he felt better than he had in months and he kept those other thoughts away from the fact that for the first time in a really long time, he hadn’t had to stop in the hallway to catch his breath or calm the rapid beat of his heart.  

No. Sam did not think of these things at all. He thought about Kevin and sent him random trivia texts all day. He played cards with Cas. He helped Jodi make dinner. He cleaned weapons with Dean.

 

~*~*~

 

Zia did not wake up that day.

 

~*~*~

 

Dean kept a close eye on her throughout the day. He stopped by her room frequently, just to see that she was still there. He didn’t know if it was some witch thing, but the more she rested the more she began to resemble the proud and arrogant and, let’s be honest here, beautiful girl they had all first seen in the bar taking everyone’s money in pool. If Cas hadn’t pointed out her winning streak and how unlikely the balls were pinging off the sides of the table, Dean would have chalked it all up to the girl being a mean pool shark.

But between the rampant vampire attacks and this girl’s suspiciously good luck, they took no chances. They had followed her out of the bar, where she had been sporting a pair of jeans and a green shirt and brown boots that tied in an inconceivable manner only to find the same girl leaning against the Impala, wearing a red dress and barefoot.

“Are you boys following me or am I just being paranoid?” She had asked them, a smile pulling at her generous mouth.

“We just want to ask you a few questions, ma’am.” Sam replied, already reaching for the fake badge he kept in his pocket.

“Ugh, Sam. Don’t lie to me. I know who you are. Dean, your reputation precedes you. As pretty as they all say.” She turned those dark, dark eyes on Cas. “And Castiel. Of course.” And had licked her lips.

“Do we-” Dean asked.

“No, you don’t know me.” She replied. She turned and walked barefoot across the gravel and started for the woods that had backed right into the bar. “But I know you. All your sinful little details and angry little lies. I know those, as well.” Then, she had laughed and led them on a chase through the forest where they had ended up in a house with fifty vampires. That she had ended up killing. After using them as bait.

Now she slept soundly in their friend’s bed, her lips regaining the red they once were, her skin become that olive color that Dean loved on Cas and her hair shining and thick once more.

“This chick is not human.” Dean muttered at some point.

“I agree.” Cas said from his elbow. “But witches are primarily human. What is she, if not that?”

“I don’t know, man. Got any ideas?”

“Demon, possibly. If she burns cold, that is likely. Succubus is likely as well. But she saved us, after baiting us and putting us in danger… A trickster?”

“Isis?” Sam suggested, walking towards the pair.

“The Egyptian goddess of nature and magic?” Dean asked, cocking an eyebrow. “Worshipped for being the quintessential mother and wife? I don’t know man. I don’t see much maternal instinct here.”

“Where was she the most powerful, Dean? Where did her magic work the best? In the forest, where she was in constant contact with the earth. Jody’s house is relatively close to the woods and she is getting better and better. Isis was also known for being deeply connected to mother nature. Egyptians viewed her as such.”

“Sam has a point, Dean. Her contact with nature is significant.” Cas said thoughtfully. He left their small group and wandered down to the small library Jody had shown them before she left. No more than three bookcases, but stuffed to overflowing, Cas skimmed his fingers along the spines until he found what he was looking for and plucked it from the shelf. Dean followed but turned left to the kitchen and Sam stayed in the doorway of Zia’s room. After a moment, both Dean and Cas stuck their heads out of their respective rooms.

“Dude, she ain’t going nowhere.” Dean said. “Come on. You want lunch or something?”

“I could use some help looking up some research on goddesses as well, Sam.” Cas said. They both looked at him expectantly and it was only with significant hesitation that he left the doorway and joined Cas in the library.

 

~*~*~

 

That night Cas curled up around Great Expectations. He had read it before, met Dickens in fact, but he was in need of comfort reading. His situation with Dean was growing more worrisome by the day and he hated the feeling of discontent that grew along his shoulders. He slept less than both Dean and Sam and he hated to while away the hours in front of the tv, watching infomercials and listening to women try to entice to call them. He averaged about three or four hours a week, which left a lot of spare time on his hands. When they had a case, Cas could use the time for research, but right now, all they had was Zia who continued to sleep in the room down the hall.

She had not awoken that day.

So when Cas fell asleep that night, he was surprised. He only realized that he was dreaming because he was reading about Miss Havisham one second and then the next he was standing in front of a gently flowing river, surrounded by grass and trees and flowers. In the distance he saw a farmhouse. The sky was cloudless and sun gentle on his arms and neck.

“Do you like it?” Zia asked from his feet. He looked down, startled to see her laying on a blanket of dark blue. She wore a plain green dress with a brown belt. Her feet were bare once again. “It belongs to a little girl from the late 1800s. Kind of Little House on the Praire, don’t you think?”

“It’s beautiful.” Castiel conceded. He watched as a little girl in yellow launched a purple and green kite in the air. He would bet his last angel feather she was laughing. “What happened to her?” He asked.

“Whooping cough. Ran through her family like a hot knife through butter. She was the only to perish.” Zia said. “But she has this. And now she has her family.”

“Family.” Cas repeated slowly. “I knew you were powerful, Zia, but I didn’t know you could access parts of heaven. Especially other’s heavens.”

“Cas.” Zia said softly. She sat up and regarded him slowly. “What do you see when you look at me?”

“A young woman. Smart, capable. Ferocious.” He said.

“Nothing else?” She asked, her voice still soft and now a little sad too. She tucked her hands into her lap and folded them there.

“No.” Cas said.

Zia regarded him for a long moment and then sighed. “That’s too bad.”

Cas sat up with a gasp, scrabbling at the couch he had fallen asleep in and already yelling for Dean. Instead, he found grass and dirt and rocks beneath his hands, the jeans Dean lent him already soaking up the moisture from the ground and dawn cresting over the top of a hill where he lay.

“What the hell!” He heard Dean yell from somewhere to his left. “Sam! Cas!”

“Dean.” Cas said. “Dean!” He yelled even louder. “Dean, over here!”

Dean stumbled into view, bits of dirt and leaves in his hair. He wore only his Zeppelin pajama bottoms, his chest bare. His feet were bare too and Cas watched him shiver.

“What in the hell is going on, Cas? Where’s Sam?”

“I don’t know.” Cas said. He felt around near his back for the gun Dean insisted he carry there but only found his angel blade. Dean’s gun was already in his hand. “Why do we have weapons?”

Dean was quiet for a moment. He had no answers. “Let’s find Sam.”  

He offered Cas a hand up. Cas tugged off his hoodie and gave it to Dean who shrugged it on gratefully. They set up off the top of the hill. It overlooked a small glen. In that small glen was more grass, some flowers and Sam and Zia. He sat up and was looking at her, completely enraptured. She stared back at him, sitting criss cross, and leaning on one fist. It didn’t appear as though either one of them was talking, just looking at each other.

Dean took off down the hill with Cas close behind. He ran straight to Sam, yelling his name. Sam didn’t turn, didn’t even acknowledge that Dean was there. Instead he continued to stare at Zia, who continued to stare back. Dean slammed into a wall, fell back and still neither looked up. His nose was bleeding and still he stood and started banging on the wall. Cas was there and ran a hand along it and felt only a slight electrical charge. It was there, for sure, but he couldn’t see it.

“Sammy! Sammy, wake up!” Dean yelled. He took aim at Zia and squeezed off two shots before Cas stopped him with a hand on his arm. He stepped forward and, using his angel blade, tried to break the wall that way. Still, nothing.

“Zia.” Cas said calmly. “Zia, please. I don’t know what you are doing, but let him go.”

Neither Sam or Zia looked up.

Instead, another Zia stepped up between Dean and Cas and placed a hand on the wall. Both gave a shout and stumbled back before Dean turned the gun on her and Cas pulled his blade back to attack. Before they could, Zia grabbed Castiel’s lead arm, flipped him over her back and settled herself behind Castiel, the angel blade pointed up to his throat.

“Dean.” Cas said, the word strangling him.

“I need you to listen to me.” Zia said calmly. “You promised me that much, Dean.”

“In dream land, maybe! But not when you have Cas and Sam held hostage.” Dean said, cocking his gun.  

“Have I hurt them?” Zia tilted her head to Sam who was openly smiling at Zia now, smiling like he hadn’t smiled in years.

“What is going on?” Dean demanded.

“It’s almost done.” Zia said. “We’re almost there.”

“But what are you doing to him?” Dean asked, a whine in his voice.

“I’m making it all better. Notice anything about Sammy lately, Dean? A little more spring in his step? He slept all through the night, last night.” She shifted slightly and lowered the knife the slightest, watching his reaction.

Dean tried to understand what she was saying but with a knife at Castiel’s throat, a throat that had been under his fingertips just hours before, and Sammy in an invisible cage, he couldn’t figure it out. Maybe she saw that, because she dropped the knife and pushed Cas to Dean.

“Tell him, Dean.” Zia prodded. She leaned against the invisible wall.

“Tell who what?” Dean asked, his gun still trained on her.

“Tell Castiel what is on your mind.”

“Sam is on my mind! And the fact that he is behind some wall and can’t hear us and doesn’t know what’s going on!” Dean said. He pulled the trigger right then and his aim was true. The bullet lodged itself inside of Zia’s right side but instead of expressing pain or anything normal, she just sighed and ran her hand over the torn cloth and flesh. It made itself right once more.

“No, what we talked about last night when we walked through the library.” Zia said.

“What does _that_ have to do with _this_?” Dean said, shaking the gun at Sam and the fake Zia.

“It has everything to do with this, Dean.” She said, a frown on her lips.

Cas opened his mouth then.

“No, Castiel.” Zia said. She spun the angel blade around with her fingertips. “He needs to say it.”

“Say what? That I had a job to do? That God raised me from hell to fuck up a job and to make the rest of my time here a living hell?” Dean demanded angrily.

“No, Dean. That’s not what I’m talking about.” Zia turned and looked at Sam. She flattened her hands against the wall and did not seem the least bit concerned about Cas and Dean at her back. Why would she? She had Castiel’s blade and she already proved that guns were not effective on her. “Sam is innocent. He tries so hard to be righteous and pure and that’s why Lucifer covets him so much. You might say that he loves him, in his own fucked up way.” She paused and ran a hand down the wall. “Do you know how much you are adored; you Winchesters and your angel? That no one, not under heaven or earth or hell has ever been given such a sweet gift?”

“What are you talking about?” Castiel asked now.

“It’s like they are angelic catnip, wouldn’t you say?” Zia turned and looked at Cas now. “What do you see now, Castiel?”

Cas paused. It was a long pause and Zia saw the flash of understanding in his eyes before he opened his mouth. He looked around at their surroundings, the field, the trees, the wide open sky. He took a step back and almost stumbled into Dean. He was pale.  

“Zarachiel.” He said softly. “But they said you died.”

“Zachariah?” Dean asked, now looking even more askance. “No, I sent that douche to angel hell, I know I did.”

“No, Dean. Zarachiel.” Cas said. He stepped forward and even though he towered over Zia, he trembled before her. She grinned again now and Dean saw the arrogant witch princess they had been hunting just days earlier. The fact that she was so cocky while Cas was so terrified worried Dean. He stepped forward to Cas. “You died. In the war. Michael sent you out first and there were demons, so many of them and you couldn’t have survived-”

“There were ways to ensure my survival, Castiel.” She whispered. He looked at her and his eyes shone. “Patron archangel of the forests and nature and children. A large part of my grace survived here, in nature. I took after Gabriel, created my own vessel.”

“Sam?” Cas asked. He turned his wide eyes to Sam, basking in the grace of an archangel.

“I’m fixing him. He was barely holding it together. It was an act of sheer will.” Zia said. They all watched Sam in silence for a long moment. “He’s a child without his mother and father who grievously sinned, fits exactly who I used to protect. Sam as well as Dean.”

“We had our dad.” Dean interceded.

“Did you?” Zarachiel asked. She shook her head. “Not here to debate the semantics of the last years with you Dean. You did me, and others like me, a great service. If fixing Sam for you could make but a small dent in that, I will do so happily.”

“No, nobody owes us-”

“Count it a favor then.” Zarachiel said,  

She turned back to Cas and reached up to frame his face with her hands. “My god, Castiel.” She whispered.

He bowed his head. “I know. I’m sorry.”

“Sorry for what?” She asked. She ducked her head so that he was forced to meet her eyes. “There is nothing to be sorry for. You fought for our Father’s greatest creation. You became what he always wanted for us. You learned to adore, you learned to cherish, you learned to love beyond your capacity. You paid your penance for the wrongs you committed. Little brother, I _envy_ you.” She kissed him on his forehead and Dean threw up his arms. “Castiel, you are what we all should be.”

“Could someone please-” Dean said.

“Dean. This is my sister, Zarachiel.” Castiel said. “We thought she was dead during the last great war with Lucifer. It was- it was one of heaven’s greatest tragedies. She was an archangel, one of our most highly regarded and loved leaders.”

“And you- you can fix Sam?” Dean asked, watching Sam and Zia inside the invisible circle.

“Almost there.” Zia said. She sighed and sat down on the small slope they all stood on. “But we need to talk, Dean.”  

“What? About what?”

“Come sit down with me.” Zia said. She gestured to the grass spot next to her. He gave the other Zia and Sam one last look before sitting down with Zia. This whole thing was giving him a headache.

“Which one of you is real?” Dean asked, sitting down.

“Well, what do you mean by real? Are ghosts real? That thing that watches you from the closet, is that real? Both of us are, in a way. I’ve got solid form here, what Sam is seeing is us having a conversation in St. Peter’s Cathedral. That’s real to him too. He can see it, he can touch it. He feels the warmth and love of his family. That’s real too. Consciousness is a funny thing, when something so small as sleep can disrupt it.” Zia smiled at Sam who seemed to be laughing now. “But that’s not what we are here to discuss, Dean.”

“What are we discussing?” Dean asked.

“You. And by extension, Cas and Sam.” She glanced up at her brother and his and smiled gently.

Dean drew himself up, ready to defend all of them. It was a messed up situation to be sure, but nothing that couldn’t be fixed.

“You’re right. It can be fixed. Easy as pie, as the saying goes.” Zia said.

“Get out of my head.” Dean muttered.

“Stop shouting.” Zia replied politely. She plucked blades of grass and began to braid them together.

“Will you let Sam out if I fix this?” Dean asked, feeling the need to bargain right away.  

“I’ll let Sam out when he’s all fixed up. It’ll be a few more minutes. And I’ll fix him up regardless. He’s not part of the deal.”

“Why are you fixing him?” Dean asked suspiciously. Nothing came without a price.

“Why are you lying to him?”

“I don’t want him to worry-” Dean started

“Bullshit.” Zia said.

“It is not.” Dean shot back. He laid his gun down. “It makes my head hurt.” He whined.

Zia nodded. “I imagine so. You have a job to do, you can’t let anything get in the way of that. I understand. As archangels, we were taught the same thing.” She laid her small creation on the ground and plucked more grass. Her head bowed she recited her last orders mechanically before her Father left. “Watch out for your younger siblings, love them, care for them. Watch out for humanity. Worship them. Love them for they are our Father’s greatest creation.”

Dean watched her, understanding that there was a lot of weight on her shoulders too. “But that’s not it for you, Dean. You love and you give and you expect nothing in return.”

Dean shook his head, his eyes wide. He turned his gaze to Castiel who leaned against the invisible barrier between them and Sam, his back to Dean. “I can’t- I don’t-”

“You do. You do know what I’m talking about and it only hurts now because this is real life and Castiel is right here and you are scared for the first time in a long time.”

“Cas-”

“Dean.” Castiel whispered.

“There are very few things that can pull apart what my Father has blessed and given you chance after chance for. Michael, Lucifer, Raphael, they never understood what they were up against. I know. I can see it. And you should rejoice in it, Dean. It’s not another responsibility. He-”

“Please, don’t.” Castiel said.

“Why?” Zia asked, laying aside her second braided grass creation and plucking more from near her knee. She asked it so casually and there was so little inflection in her voice that Dean had to remind himself that he wasn’t talking to another human being, but someone who, for all intents and purposes, was immortal.

“Because he isn’t ready, sister.” Cas said.

“But you know.” Zia said.

“Of course I know. I would have to be an idiot not to know.”

Zia swiftly braided together more grass and remained silent. Then she spoke to Dean. ”You both still miss your mother.”

“Well she died a bloody and horrible death. Of course we do.” Dean snapped.

“That’s what he feels when he’s with me. He misses his mother. He’s sick. He needs the kind of comfort you get from a mother. The kind of unconditional love you get from a mother. So do you, kiddo, but I wasn’t going to bring it up.” She looked up at him and he saw a soft sort of love there that he hadn’t seen before. He saw his mother kneeling and brushing dirt off of him. He saw his mother singing a song to him while he slipped away to sleep. He saw safety. He saw love.

“Before I got to him, he was dying. Did you know that, Dean?”

“He didn’t say anything.” Dean whispered.

“Of course not.” Zia laid her hand on his. She was warm once again. She didn’t say anything about the tears welling up in his eyes or the fact that he was wiping his face but instead laced her fingers through his. He had failed his little brother once more. If it weren’t for the fact that they had found an angel-

“Thank you.” He choked out.

Zia smiled and clutched at his hand. She brought his knuckles to her lips and kissed him reverently. “You’ll be ok, kiddo. You know that, right?”

He nodded, not trusting his voice. He got a piece of what Sam must have felt; that his mother was right there and she was going to soothe the hurt away. “Yeah, I guess so.”

She smiled once more and stood. “That’s that.”

The wall around Sam fell away and so did the vision of Zia in front of Sam. Dean stood and wiped at his face. Sam looked up and around. He saw everyone there and pointed at Zia.

“Did you know she was an angel?”

Dean caught him in a hug. “You idiot.”

“You knew?” He asked.

“Just found out.” Castiel said. Zia slipped a hand into his and for a moment, Dean felt the bright flare of jealousy. He had to remind himself that would be like Cas being jealous of him hugging Sam. And then he had to remind himself that he had no right to be jealous.

“How are you feeling, Sam?” Cas asked.

“I feel good. Great, actually.” Sam said, stretching his arms out. “Better than I have in a long time.”

“You are ready to ride again, cowboy. Got you all stitched up, good as new.” Zia said with a warm smile.

“What do you mean?” Sam said and then looked around. “Why are we outside?”

Dean rubbed his forehead. “It’s time to go home, man.”

“But why are we-”

“Come, Sam. I’ll explain everything on the way home.” Cas said.

Sam opened his mouth but Zia shook her head. “They’ll tell you everything.”

“But you really are an archangel? Like Gabriel was?” Sam asked.

“I am. Patron saint of forests and nature. And strangely enough, children. Especially those children whose parents had grievously sinned.” She shrugged. “Dad had quite a few jobs to hand out.”

“Dean?” Sam said, turning his questioning look to him.

“Let’s go home.” Dean said, feeling tired all of a sudden.

The small group turned back into the same vague direction of Jody’s house and when they blinked, they were in the living room again. Jody dropped her cup of coffee.

“Christ on a cracker, don’t do that.” She huffed.

Zia snapped her fingers and the mess on the carpet was cleaned up and there was a large latte in Jody’s hand.

“She’s an angel.” Sam said helpfully. “She fixed me.”

Jody stared for a moment at the young woman on her couch before nodding. “Ok.” Jody said. “Is there anything that I need to do?”

Everyone was silent for a long moment. “No, I don’t think so.” Dean said. “We do need to get on the road though. I don’t like Kevin being alone in the bunker for so long.”

“Shit!” Sam said suddenly. He pulled his phone out of his pocket and thumbed through his password before calling Kevin. He answered on the first ring.

“Hey!” Sam said, before setting his cup down and headed towards the back bedroom. Dean followed him with his eyes before turning to Cas.

“Is he acting weird to you or is just me?” Dean asked.  

Cas took a deep drink of his coffee. “I’m not sure what you mean.”

Dean shrugged.

“Are you sure you are ok to drive?” Cas asked, redirecting the conversation gently.

“I actually feel pretty awesome. I wonder if it has anything to do with hanging out with an archangel for the past couple of days.” Dean said. Zia smiled but didn’t say anything. “What are you going to do now, Zia?” Dean asked.

She shrugged. “I don’t know. What I’ve been doing, I imagine. Protecting children. Living in the forest. Righting what wrongs I can.”

“You could come with us.” Castiel said suddenly.

“Another time, brother. There are some things I need to attend to before I take a vacation.” She tugged at the hem of her dress and frowned. She snapped her fingers and she was dressed as she had been when the boys had previously seen her; a green blouse, jeans and boots that laced up impossibly.

“Anything we can help with?” Sam asked, entering the room. He slipped his phone back into his pocket and met Castiel’s eyes briefly before turning back to Zia.

“Nope. You boys go on home. And Castiel, if you could keep this between the two of us?” Zia asked politely, standing up.

Castiel hesitated. “But you know what’s going on?”

“Front page news, little brother. Of course I know.” She said. She pursed her lips and for once, the teasing look, the sweet smile, was gone. “And Metatron?”

“He’s locked everyone out of heaven.” Dean’s brow furrowed. “Isn’t that one of those crappy songs you listen to, Sam?”

Sam glared.

“Are there plans to open it back up? To somehow, I don’t know, dethrone him?” Zia asked. She stood and plucked the coffee out of Castiel’s hands and took a swallow.

“All the angels want to kill me and I am mortal.” Cas said when she turned her eyes to him.

“But it’s not like we’re not going to try.” Dean added.

“We’re gonna try like hell,” Sam added and then frowned at his choice of words. “But we don’t even know where to start.”

Zia took another drink from Castiel’s cup before handing it back to him, empty. “I have a few places I could venture.” She hummed to herself and looked around. “It will take me several days.”

“We can wait.” Dean said.

Zia nodded. “That’s fine. I will be at your bunker in, let’s say three days time.”

Dean stood and took the empty cup from Castiel hands. He went over to the kitchen and dumped them there. “Well, I guess we should get back on the road in that case. See if Kev has anything new for us.”

Everyone said goodbye, thanking Jody, cleaned up their mess and headed back to the Impala.

The drive home was relatively uneventful. Sam was incessantly texting on his phone and when Dean made a grab for it, they ended up almost crashing the Impala into a telephone pole during the ensuing wrestling match. Dean didn’t try to take Sam’s phone again.

They entered the bunker from the garage. They all grabbed their bags and trooped up the stairs. Dean was the last one up and shut the door behind the three of them firmly.


	4. The Bunker

Cas dumped his dirty clothes into the washer in the laundry room and began to read the directions on the back of the soap bottle. He measured and poured the soap in and turned the machine on. He kicked the door shut and swung the hamper around in his hand and was about to turn left back to his room. He had borrowed The Stand from Kevin who highly recommended it. But as he passed Dean’s room he heard a shout from the kitchen and turned on his heel. Dean got there just before he did to see Kevin standing in front of a soapy and now bloody sink with Sam wrapping a towel around his forearm.

“What happened?” Dean asked and Cas looked down to see Ruby’s knife in his hand.

“I don’t know. I was washing dishes and a glass or something must have cut me.” Kevin said and frowned down at his arm. Dean strode forward and reached into the sink and pulled the stopper. Once drained, Dean paused for a moment before rinsing it out.

“You ok? Let me see.” Dean asked.

“It’s nothing.” Kevin said.

“Well let’s see. Sam here can stitch you up if it’s that bad.” Dean said, tugging Kevin’s arm out of Sam’s hand and gently unwrapping the towel from around his forearm. Cas peered over Dean’s shoulder at the jagged cut that started at the top of his anti-possession tattoo and ran in a ragged line down the entire length of it.

Dean let out a whistle. “Man, that’s something. We should get you to the hospital. They’ll be able to stitch you up real quick.”

Kevin and Sam exchanged a look. “Why, Dean? I can just stitch him up here.” Sam said evenly.

“Nah, man. There’s a hospital down the road. We can take him there, we still need groceries, and I’m sure Kevin wants to get out of a little bit. He’s been in here for days.” Dean babbled.

Now everyone was looking at Dean strangely. “Dean-” Sam started.

“Just do as I ask, Sam.” Dean snapped. “Cas, go get Kevin’s jacket. Sam, keep pressure on that thing. I’ll go get the car ready.” Dean turned decisively and headed to the garage.

The other three blinked after him and stared at one another. Cas shrugged and headed back to Kevin’s bedroom and grabbed his jacket from the end of the bed. He frowned to see Sam’s Stanford hoodie there as well but grabbed it too. Seeing both in Castiel’s hand, Kevin opened his mouth to say something but Cas just shook his head.

“At this point, the less I know, the better.” He pointed a finger at them. “Plausible deniability.”

Sam pursed his lips and nodded. He helped Kevin up and caught their jackets in one hand as Cas tossed them to him. They headed downstairs to find Dean, his hand on the handle, forehead against the door.

Once more, they exchanged looks.

“Dean?” Cas asked tentatively. He had been walking a thin line these past few days and Cas wondered if the tension was getting to him.

“It’s locked.” Dean said.

“Unlock it.” Sam said.

“I can’t.” Dean said.

“What?” Cas said, stepping forward and jiggling the handle. The door was rarely locked; the place itself was too hard to find in the first place. The handle did not move at all. Cas snatched the keys from Dean’s hand and tried to shove the master key into the lock but it wouldn’t go.

“What-?” Cas asked. Sam took the keys from him only to have the same thing happen. The key simply would not go into the lock.

“We could try to break it down?” Dean suggested, already sounding like he knew it wouldn’t work. Sam nodded and they both tried in vain to break it down. They ended up with bruises for their work but nothing else.

“Let’s try the front.” Cas suggested. They headed to the front and Cas held out the hope that the front door would open until Dean and Sam were throwing themselves at the door once again. Cas and Kevin were downstairs and looking up at the two of them.

“We’re locked in.” Dean said, somewhat unnecessarily.

“How did we do that?” Sam asked.

“You can’t do that.” Kevin said. “One door will automatically unlock if the other is locked. It’s just the way they set it up when they built this place.”

“Ok.” Dean said nodding. “Still doesn’t answer the question. How the hell did we get locked into our own bunker?”   

Sam shook his head and crossed his arms. They both looked down at Cas who shook his head as well. “I don’t know. The sigils that the Men of Letters had up before I even put my own up should keep everything that isn’t one hundred percent human out.”

Dean frowned. “How much food do we have?”

Kevin shrugged. “Plenty of food and we are stocked with MREs as well. The water filtration system works just fine.” He cracked a smile. “Everything works just fine.”

Dean frowned. “Well obviously not. If everything worked just fine, then we wouldn’t be in this mess.”

Kevin’s grin widened. He clutched at the towel around his arm. “No, Dean. Everything works fine.” He chuckled and Cas stepped forward. Kevin was speaking but his eyes had gone hazy and glassy. He was gripping the towel so hard now, his own knuckles were turning white and his grin was more of a grimace. “Fine. Fine, Dean. Dean, everything is fine.” He shook his head, staring down at the floor and then he started gasping, “No, no it’s not fine. It’s not fine. Dean, help me. Sam. Sam. Sam.” He panted, clutching at his arm so hard now that the blood was seeping through his fingers. “Sam.” He growled.

“Kevin?” Cas asked. He took a step towards him and Kevin bowed his head and he was panting, his breathing shaking his shoulders in a way that was decidedly not Kevin.  

“Cas, don’t.” Dean said softly, making his way down the stairs quickly, quietly. Sam was right behind him. Cas turned his eyes back to Dean and he could have sworn it was just a split second but suddenly Kevin was right there, panting in his face, scratching at his throat and throwing him against the wall.

The attack was so sudden that Cas was more worried about hurting Kevin then he was about defending himself. Kevin slashed at his mouth and he felt a cut open up and felt the heat of it spread up against the roof of his mouth. They crashed against the wall and then suddenly there was another body in the mix, pulling Kevin off of Cas. Dean hooked an arm around Kevin’s neck and Sam wrapped his arms around Kevin’s torso.

“I’m fine. I’m fine. I’m fine. Fine. Fine. Fine. Fine. Fine!” Kevin screamed and slumped in Sam’s arms. Almost immediately he stood right back up and blinked at everyone. Sam tightened his hold and Kevin struggled against him for a minute until he saw Dean standing in front of Cas and Cas holding a hand to his bleeding mouth.

“What’s going on?” He asked slowly.

“What do you mean, what’s going on?” Dean demanded. “What the hell is wrong with you?”

“Kevin?” Cas asked behind Dean. He tried to edge around him but Dean stepped between the two of them once again.

“Cas, what happened?” Kevin asked. Sam loosened his hold and that was all it took. He charged at Dean, his face contorted, teeth bared. Sam grasped at him again but Kevin shook him off roughly and then shoved him into the table. He threw Dean into one of the pillars and then picked him up by his neck, chest heaving. He pulled Dean to his knees and leaned into his face.

“You like my tricks, Dean Winchester? You thought your place was impregnable. Your prophet. I will take everything you love-”    

A chair crashed into Kevin’s back, dropping him. Cas stood behind him, panting, blood dripping on his shirt. Sam scrambled forward and put Kevin in a choke hold and pulled him away from Dean. Dean slumped to the ground and Cas pulled him away from Kevin and Sam.

“Get the chains. From the dungeon.” Sam said. Kevin was still out and Cas hesitated to leave.

“Go, Cas.” Sam said. Cas made it back downstairs and up in time to see Sam and Dean lift Kevin into a chair. Dean took the chains from Cas and handed one pair to Sam. They wrapped Kevin up pretty effectively as he began to wake up. He watched with a distant sort of amusement and caught Sam’s eye and grinned.

Dean ignored him for the moment and went to Cas. He cradled his face in his hands. “You ok?” He asked, brushing his thumb across Castiel’s lip. Cas nodded and reached to the back of his head and felt for any bumps. He looked into Dean’s pupils. “You’re fine.” Cas whispered. Dean nodded. He forgot himself for a moment, forgot that Sam was there and leaned forward and pressed his lips to Castiel’s forehead.

Then he came back to himself and turned to Sam who looked only exasperated. Dean opened his mouth to explain but Sam just shook his head.

“Not important. Not right now.” Sam said. He gestured to Kevin who just looked pretty pleased with himself. He hummed a little song to himself and kicked back and forth at the chains.

“Kevin?” Sam asked.

“He’s locked away right now.” Kevin said. He kicked against the chains and watched with some amusement as they burned against his bare skin. “Blessed, are they?” He asked. The chains were smoking now and Sam panicked.

“Stop.”

“He’s screaming for you to save him, Sam.” Kevin said and smiled. He raised a hand to his forehead and tapped once. “I can hear him. He’s begging for his- Oh!” Kevin said with a wide grin. “He’s begging for his Sam to save him.”

“What are you?” Dean asked pushing Sam out the way. The Kevin and Sam thing- yeah he’d deal with that later.

Kevin shrugged. “Who knows? A god? A goddess? An angel? It’s all up in the air.”

Dean felt a hand in his back pocket and felt his flask be pulled out roughly and Sam pushed him aside, grabbed Kevin’s chin and forced his mouth open and back. He poured the contents in and didn’t stop even when Kevin started coughing and retching. He stepped back when the flask was empty and Kevin kept coughing and hacking. He looked up and the look of pure hatred was evident on his face.

“This is temporary. I’ll come for each of you.” He hissed. And then Kevin slumped forward. He dragged in a huge breath and whispered, “Sam?”

Sam rushed forward and leaned forward into Kevin, bearing his weight easily. He unlocked the chains with one hand but neither moved.

“What was it?” Kevin asked. His forearm dripped with blood where the gash had been reopened.

“I don’t know.” Sam whispered back. Kevin tried to push Sam away but he was weak and unprepared for the feeling that followed being possessed. He felt like he had run twenty miles in mud.

“What’s going on?” Kevin asked.

“What’s the last thing you remember?” Dean asked. Sam continued to undo the chains the rest of the way.

“Washing dishes this morning.”

Dean looked over his shoulder at Cas. “That’s the very last thing you remember?” Cas asked.

“Yeah. And then it felt like something cut me and that’s it.”

“We’re locked in.” Dean said flatly. Kevin tried to stand but ended up leaning against Sam mostly.

“But that’s impossible. The Men of Letters created safeguards against that. If one door is locked the other automatically unlocks to avoid this.” Kevin said, gesturing around.

“What do you mean, this?” Sam asked.

“There is no way out, Sam. Not short of a couple of sticks of dynamite.” Kevin said.

“There has to be.” Cas said, folding his arms across his chest, the bleeding on his mouth slowed now.

“We are blocked from almost every creature imaginable. Human or otherwise.” Kevin said, shaking his head.

 

~*~*~

 

 They gathered in the library, books scattered in front of them, computer on but not connected to the internet. It seemed like whatever was living there with them now would allow them electricity but not the internet.

“So what do we know?” Dean started.

“It’s not like anything we’ve seen.” Sam replied. “Did you see his eyes? They didn’t turn any particular color. He looked exactly like Kevin would look.”

Cas snorted and looked down at his hands. “What?” Sam demanded.

“I suppose you would be the one to know exactly what Kevin looked like, right?”

“What the hell is that supposed to mean, Cas?” Sam said. Kevin stared at him dumbfounded.

“Look, just because this dumbass doesn’t notice anything past his own dick and which hole to stick it in next doesn’t mean the rest of us aren't able to put two and two together.” Cas said arrogantly. Sam stood and Kevin’s mouth dropped open.

“Cas, what the fuck, man?” Dean asked, now standing. Kevin was the only one to remain seated, eyes wide and mouth shut.

Cas sat back and rolled his eyes. Dean was briefly reminded of what Cas was like before he was introduced to the intricacies of being a human; he was arrogant and cold. It was like Dean was getting that whole angel bit all over again.

“‘Man’? This to the guy that had you on your knees last night, begging?” Castiel’s smile grew wider, a little wild. He pushed his chair back. “Want to know what Zarachiel was wanting you to say? Oh, it’s all a little too Notebook for me, but she wanted you to say that you love me. Isn’t that right? You knew what she wanted, Dean.” Cas stepped around the table and strode right up to Dean so that they were practically chest to chest. “You knew what she wanted you to say and she would heal your brother and send us on our way, but you couldn’t. You just couldn’t open your mouth-”

Dean took a step back from him. “Cas, this isn’t you.”

The thing inside him smiled. “That’s accurate. But where do I get these memories from? These words aren’t just mine.”

“It’s not like he’s lying.” Sam threw in. Dean turned to him, a barrage of insults on his tongue. “You think you can sneak around, throw him under the bus when it suits you, use him up when you need you to. We all see it, Dean.”

“When a demon possessing your lover comments on the toxicity of the relationship, you might want to pay attention.” Kevin added, nodding sagely.

“Well, and the fact that you aren’t nearly good enough for him.” Sam said thoughtfully. “He gave up eternity in heaven for you. What do you give him? Sex? Come on, Dean.”

“He wants one thing from you.” The Cas-thing said. “Just one thing, Dean. And you can’t give him that.”

Dean tried to back away but hit a wall. Cas raised a hand to his face. “You’ll never deserve him. He knows that. I’m in here with him and I have full access to your angel’s thoughts. You’ll never be good enough for him and then,” Cas snapped his fingers, “He’ll be gone, just like that.”

Dean woke with a start, heaving himself away from the table, and his chair clattering to the ground. Everyone around the table jerked and stared at him.

“Dean?” Cas asked.

“Bad dream.” Dean replied, his mouth dry and his tongue thick. Sam and Cas stared at him, the worry evident on their face. Kevin turned back to his book, the barest of smirks evident.

Dean frowned but disregarded it and went back to his book.

Kevin stood and returned the book to the shelf. “I’m going to sleep.” He said and shuffled off to his bedroom. Sam’s eyes followed him for a long moment.

“Ok,” Dean said, slamming his book shut after he heard Kevin’s door close. “Sam, we need to talk.”

Sam looked utterly nonplussed and slid the book he had been cradling onto the table. “About what, Dean?”

“You and Kevin! What the hell, man! When did that happen?” Dean demanded.

“Hey, don’t talk to me like that. When did this whole thing with you and Cas finally happen?” Sam asked, defensive. Cas looked up at the two of them, both standing now, facing each other over the table.

“At least you had some warning.” Dean huffed. “Where did this thing with Kevin even come from?” He asked.

Sam sighed and his shoulders slumped. “It’s been there. For awhile. I thought it was just me and kept it pretty close and turns out, one night when you were in Texas looking for Cas-” Sam stopped himself and shrugged. “It wasn’t one sided. We just decided to keep it to ourselves because the whole thing with Cas was already killing you- we couldn’t- I couldn’t.”

Dean opened his mouth to retort with something else but he saw the slump in his shoulders. He knew that if he gave Sam a hard enough time about this barely-there thing with Kevin, he could kill it. A part of him wanted to, he wouldn’t deny that. Sam was supposed to belong to Dean and no one else. He was supposed to be the only one Sam turned to. But he also saw, in a stunning flash of clarity how unfair he was and had almost always been with Sam.

“Yeah.” Dean nodded. “Ok.”

“That’s it?” Sam asked, his eyebrows raised. “No smart ass remarks? No snarky comments? Are we sure that Kevin was the only one possessed?”

“Shut up.” Dean said. “I mean, man, if this is what you want. What can I say? Kevin knows the deal. Hell, Kevin is part of the deal. But if you two don’t work out I don’t want to see any Dawson’s Creek bullshit here.”

“You’re talking to me about Dawson’s Creek bullshit? How many years have I had to put up with you and Cas and your soul searching looks?” Sam retorted. “At least now you’ll get laid and I won’t have to put up with your shit attitude.”

“What? That’s not- Cas, that’s not what-”

“Yes it was, Dean.” Cas said, barely looking up from the book in front of him. Of the four of them, he seemed the least disturbed at the latest news.

“Wait a minute-” Dean said, looking from Sam to Cas. Cas still didn’t raise his head. Instead he grabbed a pencil that was next to him and scribbled in the book in front of him. “Cas, did you know?”

“Know what, Dean? That you have had repressed homosexual feelings for me? Yes, of course.” Cas said, sarcasm edging his words.

“No, not me. Sam and Kevin.” Dean said. Sam opened his mouth but Dean shushed him with a look.

“Yes.” Cas said.

Dean looked stunned. “And you didn’t tell me?”

Cas finally did look up. He sighed. “I wanted to, Dean. Believe me, I did. But this was a matter that was to be handled,” Cas looked over at Sam, “With some delicacy. And frankly, it is not my position to inform you of everything I know about your brother and his love life.”

“You didn’t want to out him.” Dean said.

“Delicacy.” Cas reminded him.

Dean nodded.

Sam stood. “I’m going to go check on Kevin and then I’m going to bed.” He left quietly and Dean watched him. He walked with a purpose and didn’t even look back when he knocked quietly on Kevin’s door and let himself in. Cas was across the table, buried once again in his book. Dean picked up his cell phone. It still had no service but at least it could serve as a clock. It was almost eleven o’clock.

“Hey, I’m going to go to bed.” Dean said softly, reaching across the table and tugging at Castiel’s fingers. He smiled softly at the easy little touch.

“Ok.” Cas said, shifting the book to enlace his fingers in Dean’s.

“That was an invite, Cas.”

Cas finally looked up. “I don’t sleep.” He reminded Dean.

“We don’t have to. Come lay with me, talk to me.” Dean said, now tugging on his hand.

“All right.” Cas said. He left the book open on the table and as they left the room, Dean flipped the lights off.

In the darkened room, there was a shadow.

It shifted.

It waited.

 

~*~*~

 

In Dean’s room, he swiftly undressed and brushed his teeth. Cas sat on the edge of the bed, watching him. He had learned a few things in the past few days. First, Dean was a bit of an exhibitionist and he was a bit of voyeur. Second, while Dean liked to rush headlong into certain things, sex certainly included in that category, Cas enjoyed slowing him down. While Dean scrubbed his face, attempting to wash away what had happened earlier, Cas waited quietly on the bed.

“Are you just going to sit there and watch me?” Dean finally asked, turning and looking at him.

“I enjoy watching you in all manner of things, Dean. Even the mundane.” He said. He stood and made his way over to Dean and tilted his head back. He watched Dean’s pupils widen and kissed his jaw.

“I enjoy you without clothes.” Dean muttered, pulling Castiel’s shirt off and tossing it over his head. Cas chuckled and kissed him again. He leaned into him and Dean held him close for a moment.

“Cas?” He finally asked.

“Yes, Dean?”

“Are you- I mean, are you ok?”

Cas pulled back, slightly confused. “Why would I not be ok?”

“I mean with-” Dean looked around his room, sparse and practically bare.

“With falling?” Cas prompted.

“Yeah.” Dean said softly.

“Dean, I might have fallen, but you caught me. Right? You’ve got me?” Cas asked, searching his face.

“I’ve got you.” Dean confirmed.

“As for my brothers and sisters, they have tried, time and again, to kill me. It’s not much to miss.”

“But heaven-”

“Each human creates their own heaven,” Cas said, pulling Dean’s hand to his chest, over his heart. “I’m human, mortal, flesh and blood-”

“Please don’t remind me.” Dean muttered.

“And when I die, my heaven is with you.”

Dean searched Castiel’s eyes for a long moment. “Really? All this pain and suffering and you’re ok with that?”

“Yes, Dean.” Cas said softly. “I don’t know how else to get you to understand. I fought for heaven but all this time, it’s always been just for you.”

Dean’s eyes widened. “Cas-”

Instead of letting him finish, Cas surged up on his toes and kissed Dean, hard. He tried to pour into Dean all the things he felt for him; the love, the joy, elation. Dean kissed him back and when Cas pulled him back to the bed, still kissing him, his hands tracing his back and his hips, he felt the line of tension in Dean’s shoulders drop. He felt him relax under his hands, something he had never done before.

“Yes, Dean.” Cas muttered, tracing his eyebrows with the tips of his fingers as he straddled Dean’s hips. “I’m fine with it; more than that, I’m rather looking forward to spending the rest of my eternity with the Winchesters.”

He pulled his shirt up and off, stood up and shucked his pants off. Dean watched; slightly entranced. He had never seen Cas so in charge before. Cas grabbed the bottle of lube and tossed it on the bed beside Dean and pulled his shirt up and over his head. Dean laughed at Cas’s eager hands. Cas leaned over and covered his mouth in kisses, nipping at his lips and licking the seam of his mouth. He pulled Dean up and shoved his boxers down his legs and falling to his knees in front of him.

Cas looked up at Dean and licked his lips. “Is this ok?”

“Yes.” Dean said, running his fingers through Castiel’s hair.

Cas ran his tongue down Dean’s length, stopping for a moment to suck gently on the head. “What about this?”

“That’s fine.” Dean whimpered.

Cas pushed him back on the bed so that Dean was laying on his back and the lube was magically in his hand. He returned to his ministrations, licking Dean up and down and then swallowing him almost the entire way. Dean gripped Castiel’s shoulder and groaned. Castiel used the muscles in his tongue to bring Dean to the edge, just like he knew Dean liked, before sliding off and sitting up. “Anything you want to do, anything you want to try, just tell me.” He said, before popping open the lid of the lube and coating his fingers liberally. He reached down and swung one of Dean’s legs up onto his shoulder and laid back down. He felt the press of Castiel’s fingers first before he felt his mouth and then, Dean didn’t care if he ever went to heaven in the end, because this was it.

Cas worked him slowly with his mouth but faster with his hand. Dean could tell he was eager and hell, so was he. He had only done this once before with Cas but the feeling had been almost too much. He arched his back into Castiel and tugged on his arm. “Come on, Cas. Please.” He asked. Cas didn’t come up to him right away, preferring to make Dean wait just an extra few seconds. Finally, he slid off with one final lick and pulled Dean’s other leg around his hip. He did the same with his other leg until Dean cradled him. He slid into him like that was the only place he had ever meant to be and Dean clenched around him, holding him like that. Cas let his head fall back, not moving, just staying where he was for a moment. Nothing beyond Dean existed for him.

“Cas, please. Move.” Dean commanded.

Cas started slowly, loving the drag of Dean against him, and pouring more lube on himself to accommodate. The last thing he wanted was to hurt Dean. He watched Dean who had his own head tipped back and was whispering his name over and over like he was lost in a prayer. Cas felt something familiar but nonetheless jolting, while watching that pink blush spread over Dean’s chest.

Cas was in love. Hopelessly, tangled up, forever ruined, in love. He bent over Dean, kissing his chest and licking his collarbone, kissing his mouth and his chin, his jaw and his closed eyelids. Dean moaned and his breath hitched and Cas felt the telltale warmth on his stomach and could feel himself not much further behind. He clung to Dean’s shoulders, finally feeling himself come and moaned Dean’s name into his neck. Dean stroked his back and his hair until Cas stilled. He slid out of Dean but stayed where he was, while Dean wrapped his arms around him and placed kisses everywhere he could reach.

Reluctantly, Cas stood and got a warm washcloth from the bathroom. He cleaned Dean up and then himself. He pulled the white shirt back on and handed Dean his boxers before pulling his own on. Then he climbed up into the bed and fell asleep, wrapped up in Dean’s arms.

 

~*~*~

 

 Sam woke with a start, sitting straight up in bed. He looked over and Kevin shifted, protecting his arm that he had cut earlier. He muttered something in his sleep and Sam felt relief pour over him. He thought he had heard someone whispering his name but it was obviously-

“Sammy.” The whisper came from the other side of the door. He looked down at Kevin and watched his eyes flutter behind his closed lids and his closed mouth.

“Sam.” There was another whisper, this time from the closet. He wasn’t a coward but he would admit to his pulse quickening when he heard the whisper shift again, back to the hall. There was always something primal about waking up to whispers in the dark; the small child that lives in all of us still will want to flee in terror. The door was closed but as Sam watched and listened, he could hear only silence again. He reached over to the drawer next to him and as he found Ruby’s knife, the door, the solid steel door, the door that Castiel had blessed when he was an angel, that Dean and Sam had inscribed sigils into-

It expanded and Sam heard a sickening, thick, wet pulse.

He reeled back and grabbed for Kevin.

There was no one in the bed next to him.

The door contracted and Sam blinked, to make sure that it was back to normal.

“Sam!” A voice demanded from the hallway.

He flinched. It sounded like his father.

He stood and crept closer to the door and against the voice screaming in his head and his own better judgment, he reached out for the handle.

It was nothing but cool metal against his palm.

The hallway was dark and there was no one there. He stepped out and turned to Dean’s room. Sam stopped, because there, at the end of the hallway was his brother. He couldn’t see his face but he was taller than Cas and Kevin and he knew how his brother held himself in the silence and in the dark and there he was, the one person Sam knew he could turn to, the one person that Sam knew he could count-

“Sam.” Dean growled.

“Dean, where is everyone? What’s going on with the lights?” Sam asked, reaching for a wall in the near pitch black. The dimensions of the hall were all wrong, this place was all wrong-

“Sam!” Dean yelled.

He shocked Sam into silence and he watched while Dean lowered his head.

“He’s here, Sam.” He whispered. From this far away, Sam shouldn’t have been able to hear him but it felt like his brother was right there in his ear, whispering the words. “Can you feel him? He’s here.” Understanding snaked its way into Sam’s mind. This wasn’t his brother. This was something possessing his brother.

“And all your little angels and all your little spells will come crashing down. One. By. One.” The Dean-thing threw back his head and laughed and raised his hands to the sky and all the doors flew open and he could hear Dean screaming and Kevin pleading and Cas begging. The doors on either side of him flew open and he saw the walls blood soaked and pieces of bodies scattered around-

He looked down and his pants were soaked in blood and his arms and hands dripped, sticky, with it.

“No, no, no-” Sam said, scrubbing at his hands and his clothes. He shook his head and gagged on the syrupy feeling of the blood coagulating on his hands. The Dean thing laughed at him from the other end of the hallway.

“Sam.” It said again.

“Stop!” Sam yelled back at it. He raised his hands to his head; he could hear that thick wet pulse again and again and again.

“Sam. Come here.” It raised a hand and it mirrored his own; dripping wet with something dark.

“No.” Sam whimpered. He scrubbed at his hands still. There was the pulse again in the back of his head. “Please, give them back to me.”

“Sam, come here.” It demanded once more.

“No!” Sam yelled, defiant.

“Sammy.” It said, defeat in its voice. “Please, come back to me.”  

The lights snapped on. The knife was in his hand and down the hall Dean had a shotgun pointed at Sam. Kevin and Cas stood behind him.

“Sam?” Dean asked, his finger still on the trigger.

Sam nodded, tightly.

“Man, you gotta talk to me.” Dean said. He was in a shooter’s stance and Sam wasn’t sure if it was just rock salt in the gun.

“Dean.” Sam begged. He held out his hands and he saw Dean’s eyes soften. “Dean.” He asked once more, almost choking on the name.

“I’m right here.” Dean said. He still had not lowered the gun. “What’s going on?”

“Did I hurt you?” Sam asked, forcing his fingers open and dropping the knife and stepping back.

“You knocked Cas off his ass.” Dean said. Cas looked like he was sporting a new bruise on his eye. Whatever was in the bunker seemed to have it out for him.

“I’m sorry.” He whispered. “It was like a bad dream or something.”

“Are you ok?” Dean asked, nodding at him. He lowered the gun, finally. Sam looked down. The blood was his and it was coming from a gaping wound over his tattoo.

“Think so.” He muttered. He looked down his shirt, “I’m going to need a touch up.”

“What did you see?” Kevin asked.

Sam frowned and decided to skip past the details. “Dean. At least, I think it was Dean. He was saying that he was here.”

“Who?”

“Didn’t get a name before I woke up.” Sam said, pressing down on his wound. He winced. Kevin pushed past Dean and ducked into the bathroom and came out with a towel. He unbuttoned Sam’s shirt efficiently and pressed the towel to his chest. Sam hissed.

“Did anyone get any sleep?” Sam asked.

“Cas and I got a couple hours.”

“Me too.” Kevin nodded.

“We need to get to work.” Sam said, looking at Dean. Dean pressed his lips together in a thin line and nodded.

“Let’s do that.”

The four of them shuffled warily into the library, stopping at Sam’s room for a new shirt for him. They passed the infirmary, grabbing some bandages for the wound on Sam’s chest. There seemed to be an unspoken agreement that they all stay within each other’s sights at all times. They seated themselves at the library table and were silent for a long moment. Cas had his head bowed and Dean fiddled with a pen in his hand. Kevin was taping gauze to Sam’s chest and then sat down heavily.

“God, I’m exhausted.” He muttered.

“Look, we need to talk about this.” Dean finally said, laying the pen down flat. “This is some shit we haven’t dealt with before. It’s getting into our heads.”

“How is it different from any other possession?” Sam asked, rubbing his face.

“When Kevin cut himself, doing the dishes-” Dean started and looked away. “When I drained the sink to see what he cut himself with there wasn’t anything in there. There was nothing in there but soapy, bloody water.”

“No.” Kevin said, shaking his head. “That can’t be. I felt something slice me.”

“Yeah and where did it cut you? It broke the circle on your tattoo, Kev.” Dean said gently. “We didn’t even have time to get Cas a tattoo. I’m pretty sure whatever Sam did to himself broke the circle of his tattoo as well.” Dean leaned his head on the table, weary. “Fuck.” He said matter of fact.

“And you, Dean?” Cas asked, his hand on Dean’s.

“What about me?” Dean asked, his voice distant and echoey from underneath the table.

“Is your tattoo intact?” Cas asked.

“Yes.”

“May I see?”

Dean sat up and pulled the collar of his shirt down. His tattoo was there, intact. Cas nodded and tugged Dean’s hand away. He readjusted his shirt. Dean looked across at Sam, Kevin and Cas. “I don’t have the tools to re-apply the tattoo.”

They all three looked away from each other.

“Could it kill us?” Kevin finally asked.

“Maybe.” Dean acknowledged. “The way it’s going, it might have us killing each other pretty soon.”  

Sam’s phone rang. He picked it up and looked confused. “Charlie.” He said. “Charlie, we need your help.”

“Yeah, I know.” She said.

“What do you mean?” Dean asked, leaning forward so that he could be heard over the speakerphone.

“I have a very scary woman, her husband and their kid at my door. Something about an archangel-” There was a high pitched whining and then the phone’s screen shattered in Sam’s hand. He dropped the pieces on the floor where they smoked and sizzled. They all stared at it numbly. The hope was too fleeting that they had found a way out so easily that it hadn’t even set in before it was taken away again.  

“We might do well with trying to look for a way out.” Kevin said softly. “I don’t think we should be sleeping right now.” He looked exhausted despite his words.

Cas nodded. “It seems to be that there is something about the unconscious state that appeals to this demon.”

“We always have research.” Sam said, raising a book from the table before opening it.

“Let’s make some coffee. We’ll be here awhile.”

While he waited for the coffee to brew, Dean brought the screen up on his phone. He frowned at it, turned it over and removed the battery. He replaced it and turned it back on. The phone was fully charged but there was no signal coming through for him. He had been hoping that maybe Charlie had gotten through to him too. He shoved the phone back in his pocket and took the coffee pot and cups into the library with him.

Everyone was seated around the same table. They passed around the coffee and buried their noses in books. After a while they were all quiet, the only sound was the turning of centuries old books.

Dean heard a whisper, something that he probably wouldn’t have heard if it wasn’t for his hunter instincts. He turned and watched as Kevin stood and left the room, a book in hand.

“Hey, Kev?” Dean called. Sam and Cas remained where they were, heads bowed. Kevin didn’t stop and disappeared down a hallway that should have had all the lights on but was now pitch dark. It swallowed him whole and no one even noticed.

Dean stood to follow him but as he reached the hallway, he thought he saw the darkness stretch and reach for him. He skittered back, fully into the light now and the shadows did not follow him.

“I’m dreaming.” Dean muttered. He pulled out Ruby’s knife and sliced his palm open, hoping the pain would waken him. The knife was as dull as a spoon and he barely felt the pressure of it against his skin, let alone the sharp sting of a cut. “Fuck.” He muttered. He turned back to the table and took another few steps back before he remembered the dark that had pulled at his boots.

Cas and Sam leaned back against one of the tables that dominated the library. They smiled and smirked down at him and Dean was confused. How had the tables come to be elevated? And so far elevated that Dean had to crane his neck back to look up at them?

“Guys come down here.” Dean beckoned. Instead Sam threw back his head and laughed at him and leaned over to whisper something in Castiel’s ear. The gesture was too easy; too familiar. Dean felt something twist in his gut as Cas leaned toward Sam and watched his smirk grow wider with the words Sam whispered in his ear.

“We’re not coming anywhere near you.” Cas laughed.

Sam leaned into their friend, smiling as though they had all shared a joke. He shook his head. “No, in fact I think we’ll stay right where we are. Right where you can’t reach us.”

Dean opened his mouth to demand that they stop fucking around, that they get down here right now when he saw it. Well, them. There were two of them, black as death and they rose up from the table behind Sam and Castiel. They had human-like shapes, twisted and deformed though they might be. They moved like shadows but stuck like tar and began to twist themselves around Sam and Cas’s wrist and neck. They slid up their arms and down their chests, intimate as lovers. Cas turned his head to Sam and whispered something to him and Dean felt around for Ruby’s knife again but it was gone. Dean’s skin prickled and suddenly his tshirt felt too harsh on his skin; the room was too bright; everything was too hot. He couldn’t breathe and the few small gasps he did allowed himself weren’t enough, they weren’t nearly enough.

“They’ve got you.” Dean whispered to himself. “I can see them. I can cut them out.”

“They are inside of us, Dean.” Sam said, turning his face to Castiel’s and maybe it was a trick of light, maybe Dean was seeing things but did his lips trace the hairline at Castiel’s temple?

“We don’t want them out.” Cas said and tipped his head back to Sam’s, and no, this time he did see Cas lightly line Sam’s jaw with his lips. Dean took a step forward.

“No, not this. Not from you.” Dean begged.

“I don’t know what you are talking about.” Sam said, reaching now with an arm that was almost entirely black but the tips of his fingers. He traced the line of Cas’s collarbone and goddamn him Cas was still wearing that white tshirt he had found in Dean’s closet.

“Cas, no.” He begged. Castiel turned his eyes to him and they were black. Not demon-black. But the blue of his eyes were gone and replaced with a fathomless black.

“You cannot possibly know me, Dean.” Castiel said and it wasn’t his usual growl. It was echoed and ancient and impossibly bitter.

“We are beyond you now.” Sam said in that same voice. And suddenly Dean was right there. He could smell Sam’s soap and feel Castiel’s breath. He grabbed Sam’s arm and forced it straight out.

“No, no. I can make it better. I can try, Sammy. Let me cut it out. I’ll cut it out.”

He made the first slice and Sam threw back his head and screamed.

Dean’s world flared to light all of a sudden as he sprawled across the library, still holding the knife, Kevin standing in front of Sam, a shotgun aimed at him. Sam was holding his arm to his chest, cradling it. All the lights were on, books scattered across the floor. Dean’s head pounded.

“Sam?” He asked. He stood and he saw Kevin slide right back in front of a very hurt and confused Sam.

“Back off, Dean.” Kevin growled.

“What happened?”

“It’s getting stronger.” Cas said from the doorway. He watched the three of them calmly, as though it were nothing new for Sam to be bleeding because of Dean and Kevin planted in between the two of them with a shotgun. “It’s picking at us. Trying to find the weakest link. It’s tasting us, to see who goes first.”

“What are you talking about?” Sam asked.

“Kevin. It went after Kevin first because he was the easiest to get to.” Cas said and walked over to Dean. Instead of helping him up, he sat down next to Dean and Dean fell back and stared up at the ceiling.

“That’s when I knew something was wrong. There was nothing in the sink.” Dean said.

“There had to have been something in there.” Kevin countered.

“Not a goddamn thing, Kev. There wasn’t a knife, a fork, broken glass. Nothing. Just soapy, bloody water. Why do you think I was so adamant about us leaving?”

“It cut him and entered him that way.” Cas continued as though no one else had spoken. “It’s like a virus. It only enters via the bloodstream and that’s why you can never really tell if someone is acting of their own free will. The demon, or whatever it is, doesn’t need to change the host at all.”

“So it could still be in Kevin-” Dean started slowly.

“And me and Sam.” Cas said, nodding.

“And we wouldn’t notice.” Dean finished. “Wait, why not me?”

“Your tattoo is still intact.” Cas said, tugging at his shirt collar.

“What the hell was that?” Sam asked, wrapping a towel around his arm where Dean had cut him open. “That wasn’t Dean.”

“Maybe it doesn’t need blood,” Cas said with a casual shrug. He was beaten to a pulp with the busted lip and black eye. Sam wasn’t faring much better and Dean seemed to be the only to escape unscathed. Kevin placed the shotgun down on the table.

“I think it wants Cas.” He said softly.

Everyone turned to look at him.

“It’s in here. And it’s whispering. I can mostly ignore it but when it’s quiet, when there’s no one else around and when I get sleepy, it tells me to get close to Cas. To sit with Cas. There’s something in Cas that it wants to feed on.” Kevin rubbed his forehead and leaned forward in his chair. Sam placed a hand on his back and Kevin was able to manage a small smile for him. “Thing is, when I try to push back, that’s when it takes over. The more tired I get, the harder it is to fight this urge to get closer to Cas.”

Cas scooted behind Dean. Kevin smiled.

“Maybe we should go to our rooms? Take some books with us?” Sam suggested.

“No offense, but I don’t want the two of you in a room together. Neither one of you is what I would call trustworthy right now.” Dean said.

Sam’s face was haggard in the stark light but he didn’t seem to have it in him to disagree. “What do we do?”

“Wait.” Cas said softly. He stood and shuffled towards the hallway. “Charlie knows where the bunker is. She said something about an archangel. She’s bringing Zia and the Rileys. How far away is she?”

“Three, four hours.” Dean said.

Cas nodded. “We can wait that out, right?”

Dean nodded, hesitant. “I think so.”

Cas shuffled back over to the table but Dean stayed where he was.

“Dean?” Cas asked, looking over his shoulder.

“Coming.” He grumbled.

“No, you’ve got something on your shirt.” Cas said and pressed gently over a growing dark patch on Dean’s shirt.

“What the hell?” Dean asked. He pressed a hand there and it came away red. “Fuck, I’m bleeding.”

Cas backed away. “Your tattoo. Is the line broken?”

Dean raised his shirt up and saw that indeed, the line of his tattoo was broken by four scratches starting at the top left and ending at the bottom right. He raised his eyes to Cas who stared back and continued to back up.

“Cas-” He started.

“I think you should stay there, Dean.” Cas said slowly, pulling his angel blade out of the back of his jeans.

Dean snorted. “Cas, I’m not going to hurt you. I’m in full control here. I’m not asleep.”

“Then put Ruby’s knife down.” Cas said, eyeing the knife that Dean didn’t know he was clutching. Sam stood off to the side and he was breathing hard, like he had just run a marathon. Kevin was pale.

“I didn’t-” Dean started.

“Sam just handed it to you.” Cas said slowly. Sam’s head snapped around to him.

“No I didn’t.”

“Yeah, you did, Sam.” Kevin said, clutching the table and then fell to his knees. “It’s here. Can’t you hear it? It’s not whispering anymore. It’s shouting.”

“Dean, back off.” Cas said, falling back into a stance that Dean was too familiar with. He was ready to fight.

Dean found himself three steps closer to Cas.

“Cas-” Dean said.

And then he felt it. It was there in the back of his neck, heat and anger and loneliness and despair all feeding off what he felt for Cas but it wasn’t enough. It wasn’t enough to feed of what he felt for Cas or what Sam and Kevin felt for each other.

This yawning blackness was insatiable. It fed and it wanted and it needed. And now it was feeding off the need that Dean felt for Cas. There was nothing he could do to fight it off. Even if Zia was here, Dean wasn’t sure an archangel could fight it off.

For Dean to fight it off, he would have to stop needing Cas. Like cutting a junkie off from its dealer.

Dean watched in horror as he advanced on Castiel and he saw the conflict in Cas. Dean was still mortal, as far as any of them knew. Cas couldn’t hurt him.

“Run.” Dean gritted out. “Don’t let it get to you.”

Cas shook his head. “No, I won’t let it chase me. Dean, you’re mine. You belong to me.” Cas snarled, “I’m not running from you.”

“Cas.” Dean begged. He watched his hand switch the hold on Ruby’s knife so that the blade lined up against his forearm, to put all the momentum behind a throat slashing movement. “No, Cas, you gotta run. Please.”

Dean felt the thing’s claws in his brain, felt it try to press him back, to press him into unconsciousness. He pushed back, barely holding on to his waking moment. He looked over at Kevin, now on the floor holding his head. Sam clung to the chair closest to him.

Cas threw himself at Dean, knowing full well this could be the end of him completely. Yes, he was a good fighter, one of the best with his angel blade. But he wasn’t going to kill Dean; that was an impossible task that even his Father wouldn’t expect of him. Instead he threw himself on Dean, taking advantage of Dean’s surprise and hitting him as hard as he could in the jaw. Cas watched awareness leave Dean’s eyes and immediately realized what a bad idea that was. This thing, whatever it was, took advantage of a person’s fully unconscious state.

As Dean’s eyes rolled to the back of his head, he roared in a voice that was a millenium old, “Pick him up!” Kevin and Sam stood immediately and grabbed Cas off Dean just as Dean’s back bowed and he howled. “No! Get out!”

Dean stood, but not without some trouble. What was left of Dean was fighting. Sam and Kevin, under the influence of whatever this thing was, stood complacently, holding Cas easily. He crashed into the table and stumbled over a chair. He stood up straight and straightened his shirt. “Dean, go to sleep.” He said in that ancient voice.

He bent over. “Get out! Get out! I won’t- You can’t make me.” He finished with a whimper.

He stood up straight once again. “That’s what you have all wrong. Kevin and Sam, they are screaming now. They thought it was me, screaming. No. They are hearing the echoes of themselves.” Dean scooped up the abandoned angel blade at his feet and spun it in his hands. “Good muscle memory, Dean. How long have you been fighting? Years? Your entire life?” His eyes lit up suddenly. “Yes, that’s good Dean. Just go to sleep. It’ll be so much easier on you.”

The thing in Dean approached Cas slowly, without all the swagger that marked Dean’s usual gait. He lowered his head when he approached Castiel. “He fell asleep.” Dean looked up and it wasn’t the full black of a demon’s eyes but all the green was replaced with a black indistinguishable from his pupil. He raised the angel blade to his lips and said softly, “Shhhh… He’s been tired for so long.” He placed the tip to Dean’s chest and tapped at the hollow of his throat. “I like it here. It’s warm. And powerful. This man, or whatever he is, has so much power locked up in here.” The thing approached him and it was so much like Dean when he lowered his mouth to Castiel’s neck and took a deep breath that it took everything in Castiel not to wail. “But whatever he is, is nothing compared to what’s in you.” He murmured into his neck and Cas remembered the times when Dean would stay right there, peaceful and content, sighing softly or laughing gently at Cas. “All that access you have in you. All that thrumming, harsh light. You think it’s gone but it’s there. It’s right there, right underneath the surface, and it’s so close…” Cas struggled against Kevin and Sam but they didn’t even sway on their feet. Tears of frustration and rage poured down his face and he growled, words lost to him now. “I don’t know how you stand it, Castiel. It’s right there.”

Cas felt the press of Dean’s lips against his throat and looked up to the ceiling and prayed harder than he had since the Plagues and he thought he heard a crash-

But he forgot all about it when he felt Dean’s teeth break through the skin at his throat and there was nothing but blood and light and pain- the pain.

And then he was on the floor and hands pressed against his throat and words were exchanged and he thought-

No-

Dark hair and pale skin and his eyes kept closing-

“Castiel, you open your eyes right fucking now. You do not fall asleep. You hear me?” Jules whispered into his face. She slapped him harshly across the face and awareness poured back into him and it was like being hit by a train.

Kevin, Sam and Dean stood in front of Zia who stood casually between Jules, Charlie, and Cas. She was barefoot once more and didn’t even have an angel blade.

“Bring him to me.” Zia demanded. Charlie and Jules knelt, picked Cas up and dragged him, blood soaked and barely breathing to Zia. “Little brother.” She said adoringly. “You gotta watch what you pick up.” She laid a hand on his shoulder gently and Cas heard the bones and veins fix themselves, like puzzle pieces snapping together. Charlie and Jules almost dropped him. With her head turned, Kevin and Sam charged but Zia frowned and turned back to them. “Don’t do that.”

Kevin and Sam collapsed at her feet. She turned to Dean. He shrugged. “Pawns.”

“You are the one I want.” Zia said, nodding and stepping forward. And then there it was, her angel blade. She raised a hand to Dean’s cheek and stroked there lovingly. “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. Now the earth was formless and empty, darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God was hovering over the waters. And God said, “Let there be light,” and there was light.” She paused and Cas watched Dean sway closer into her and she whispered to him gently, “God saw that the light was good, and he separated the light from the darkness.” She recited softly. Dean all but purred underneath her touch. If there was power still left in Castiel, even after his fall, he could only wonder what the thing inside Dean felt in Zia’s touch. “You were meant to remain separated from what was created.” She placed a small hand in the middle of Dean’s chest, still sticky wet from the cuts. She gave him a small push and he all but flew into one of the pillars. “I can see it.” She said softly. She tilted her head to the side, her dark hair hiding her face from Cas. “It’s like a splinter.”

    Cas tried to stand but he fell underneath the look Zia gave him.

    “Please.” He begged.

    “I have to cut it out.” She said flatly to Cas.

    “No.” Cas said, shaking his head.

    Zia frowned. “There is no other way, Castiel.” She turned back to Dean and strode over to him purposefully. She paused and held the blade above his left collarbone and looked into Dean’s eyes. “I’m so sorry. This is going to hurt. It will probably kill you.”

    “You wouldn’t kill him.” Dean said.

    “To save this world, I would kill myself.” Zia said. “You are absence, darkness, nothing.”

    “I will take him with me.” The thing inside Dean hissed.

    “That’s fine.” Zia said with a shrug and stabbed Dean. As soon as the blade pierced him, Sam came to. Words died on his tongue as he watched the archangel that had healed him, kill his brother. He scrambled to his feet but Zia held him back with a look before shoving the blade deeper and twisting it to the left.

    Cas saw the exact moment when Dean came back to him. His eyes were that impossible green and he looked over to Cas and then to Sam. Sam struggled wordlessly to his feet and Jules and Charlie held on to Cas as he fought and tried to get his way back to Dean. Zia pulled the blade from him cleanly and stepped back. She caught his weight as he fell into her, getting blood in her hair.

    “You were right. That hurt.” Dean said.

    Zia smiled. “It’s all right ladies, let him.” At once, Sam and Cas descended on Dean. Zia handed him off to Cas gently and Sam pushed her away roughly. Zia stood and brushed herself off.

    “Hey.” Dean said and turned his head to cough. “Hey, I love you.” Cas wiped the blood from his mouth.

    “Don’t leave me.” Cas said, surprising himself by how steady his voice was. And then it cracked. “Please?”

    “Your sister fucked me up, Cas. I don’t think anything can survive her. Whatever that thing was, whatever it was, it’s gone. It’s dead.” Dean said. “Sam?”

    “Yeah, Dean.” Sam said, wiping his face.

    “I need you to help Cas. He’s clueless and I- uh-” Dean choked on his words. “I need you to watch after your brother, Sammy.”

    “Are you giving me your job?” Sam asked, his voice cracking too.

    Dean sighed. He closed his eyes.

 


	5. The End

The End

   

“Cas, do you want to say anything?” Zia asked.

Cas cleared his throat. He looked down at his boots, the ones Dean had bought him so long ago. “He was good. He was kind. More than that, in the time that we knew each other, he was my friend. He was the first one there to catch me when I fell-” He stopped and sighed. “There are no words for the loss we have suffered.” Cas looked up at the funeral pyre and the body on it. He knew it was just an empty shell but his friend was gone just the same and the grief that was left in his wake was-

    Well, all he had to do was look around to see what the grief looked like. Jules, David, even Matthew were shell shocked. Kevin looked lost and leaned into Sam. Sam had his head bowed. Charlie twisted Dean’s leather jacket in her hands. “Because of all the good he did here, all the people he took care of here, I know he will be received into the house of my Father.”

    Zia looked down at her hands where she held a small torch and Dean’s lighter. “Forever and ever,” She whispered. “Amen.” She lit the funeral pyre. Everyone took a step back.

Jules raised a hand. “Bye daddy.”

Dean gripped Castiel’s hand tightly.

After Zia had healed Dean as best that she could, she had taken him to the nearest

hospital, where he had lain in a coma for two days. Both her and Castiel had stayed at his side, Zia trying to help him in small doses. In those two days, Jules and David had received a phone call from a neighbor who had not seen Henry in several days. The neighbor had called 911 who, in turn, broken down the door. Henry had suffered a massive heart attack and died.

A week after Dean was released from the hospital, everyone headed to Colorado to pay their final respects. In his will, Henry left specific instructions for his funeral. Zia had presided over it, personally delivering his soul to heaven.

Charlie, Kevin and Sam headed to the Impala ahead of Dean and Cas.

“Ready to go home?” Dean asked and pressed a kiss into Castiel’s hairline.

“Yes.” Cas said, and turned away from the fire.   

  



End file.
